


Devil's Advocate

by Nena_Camadera



Category: Kill la Kill, ああっ女神さまっ | Ah! Megami-sama! | Oh My Goddess!
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Gen, Multi, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-20
Updated: 2015-04-18
Packaged: 2018-01-25 22:02:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 47,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1664018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nena_Camadera/pseuds/Nena_Camadera
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What should have been a simple hospital visit instead leads to hidden conspiracies, amnesic demons, vengeful gods, inter-dimensional loopholes with their bent rules, and discoveries that go beyond the truth of Life Fibers. Hang on to your hats, Kids. It's going to be a bumpy ride.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One Cold Day

_January 2 nd, 1989_

_Nekomi City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan_

Megumi Morisato slowed her bike to a halt at the upcoming stop sign, taking the opportunity to readjust her gear. Today was colder than most days at fifteen degrees Fahrenheit, and her older brother’s request for a _Hamaya_ wasn’t helping her mood. “I shouldn’t be out here.” She muttered, shivering beneath three layers of clothes. “I should be at home, with the heat turned on full blast under a _kotatsu_ with a beer in hand.” The young woman made a face, rubbing her face and grimacing at the feel.

At least she was almost to Keiichi’s place. All she needed was to drive up the mountain, where the temperature would drop even further and…Megumi shivered. “I hate the cold.” She muttered. “I really, really hate the cold. It’

s times like this that a car would be nice.” Thoughts of a heated, controlled ride filled her mind, and the college freshman sighed wistfully, so lost in her daydream that she never noticed the odd blond that appeared before her.

“A car, eh?” The stranger murmured, her words going unheard as the woman before her readjusted her helmet, briefly surveying the area for traffic before taking off once more. The woman smiled. “Sounds like fun. Let’s give you that warmth you’re so desperate for.” A ball of red, plasma like energy formed in the woman’s hand, and with a smirk she tossed it at the girl.

The magic hit its mark.

The bike spun out of control.

And where an eighteen year old girl should have fallen, instead was parked a red, 1960 Corvette.

The woman, the demon, chuckled, approaching the newly created vehicle arrogantly. “And to think, soon your brother will be joining you.” She cooed. “If this doesn’t send Belldandy a message, I don’t know what will.” The blond ran her fingers across the hood of the car, listening with mirth as the spirit trapped within screamed in terror and confusion.

The demon, Marller, patted the car affectionately. “Don’t worry. You won’t be alone for long.” She reassured it. “Belldandy’s got some sharp senses, Urd even more so when it comes to demons. They’ll be along shortly to retrieve you, no doubt bringing your brother along with them. But until then, at least you’ve got your bike for companionship.” With a laugh the woman moved away from the vehicle, walking past the backpack that had been spared from transformation.

And stepping right onto the _Hamaya_ arrow that Keiichi Morisato had specifically requested to keep that exact demon away from his home.

Electricity surged forth from the discarded arrow, travelling up the demon’s foot and entrapping her body. The shock was paralyzing, the pain that came with it, unspeakable.

Trapped, paralyzed, and along, it was not long before the demon’s consciousness folded in on itself in self-preservation, and Marller passed out, collapsing atop the arrow with violent bolts of electricity that slowly began to fade.

Yet fortune seemed to smile upon the foolish demon that day. Or at the very least, smirk and snort in amusement.

For not even five minutes after the event passed, another individual appeared at the scene.

“Holy shit.”

The man pulled off to the side of the road, exiting his car and jogging towards the fallen woman. “What happened here?” He asked aloud, running a hand through his dark hair as he surveyed the scene. A car, the fallen bike, the woman who looked a bit too much like those weird cosplayers that were growing popular as of late… “A hit and run?”

But who’d just abandon their car like that? Or was the woman the car’s owner?

Brows furrowed together, the man approached the blond, taking careful note of her position while checking for any visible signs of damage. He couldn’t see any blood, which came as a relief, and bringing a hand above her mouth showed she was still breathing.

“Okay…okay, she’s alive. Is there anyone else around then?” The man wondered aloud, moving to investigate the surrounding area.

The sound of a car revving made him jump.

The man wheeled around to face the source of the noise, the old red car that looked out of place in a college city like Nekomi. “Hello?” He called, noticing the woman hadn’t moved from her spot.

No other voices greeted him, and so warily the man approached the car. “I don’t get it, nobody’s inside the car.” He muttered. “Was I just hearing thi-“

The car’s headlights suddenly activated, the horn blaring a noise that almost sounded like a woman’s shout, and with it the man screamed like a five year old girl.

“What the hell?!” The man cried, running to his car for protection. “What is that thing, Charlene?” Cars weren’t supposed to be alive. Not unless they were haunted cars with creepy-ass obsessions with their owners.

Yet the car did not budge from its spot, and as his racing heart screamed at him to get out of the area before the car really _did_ kill him, his traitorous mind couldn’t help but remind him of the fallen woman.

Swearing viciously, amber eyes drifted to where the woman lay, having not so much as twitched in the time since he’d come across her. The man swallowed anxiously, before hesitantly moving away from the refuge of his car and towards the woman. Keeping both eyes on the evil haunted possessed car from hell, the man scooped the unconscious blonde up in his arms and beat a hasty retreat to his vehicle.

And as one car made a quick U-turn before speeding away from the possessed car, another woman appeared; a tan woman with silver hair and unruly violet eyes.

She looked around in confusion.

“I could of sworn I sensed Marller around here…”

The 1960s corvette beeped.

~*~

_Twenty-five years later_

_Honno City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan_

 

Ryuko Matoi was absent again.

She wasn’t playing hooky.

The disappearances had started a month ago, and as the weeks passed by more often than not Matoi’s seat was found empty. Something was going on.

It wasn’t good.

It was evident in Mako Mankanshoku’s oddly withdrawn behavior. The girl’s normally exuberant personality was replaced with an oddly withdrawn behavior that was at odds with what was typical of the underachiever.

No, no, something was wrong. The student populace was all aware of how inseparable the two were. If Ryuko ditched, than Mako wouldn’t be far behind her. It wasn’t sickness either, or if it was, it had to have been a terrible one. The students who shared homeroom with her all whispered of the tension that surrounded the brunette. Of the anxiety that radiated off her in waves, to the point where even the normal naps she took in class became rare.

The rumor mill was running rampant, and Satsuki Kiryuin decided it was time to confront the girl about her younger sister.

“Mankanshoku.”

The younger girl jumped, turning to face the black-haired President of Honnoji Academy, flanked only by the large Ira Gamagori of the Elite Four. The school was still in the midst of repairs from six months ago, and with it, the prior Three Stars had taken it upon themselves to ensure the safety of the student population as well as direction and leadership in regards to Academy repairs. It had come with a heavy amount of encouragement from Satsuki and more than its fair share of arguing. The Four had only relented with the agreement that one of the Devas be at her side during school hours, the individual in question changing bi-weekly to diminish the chance of infighting.

“Lady Satsuki! Gamagori! What are you doing here?” The girl asked, momentarily reverting back to her more exuberant self at the sight of the duo. Yet it was gone as quickly as it came, and in its place was a shadow of her former self; a stranger with a familiar face that brought rise to suspicions and worries that Satsuki refused to focus on.

Looming behind her, Satsuki could hear an uneasy rumble from Gamagori. A slight wave of her hand halted him before the intimidating figure thought to speak, allowing for the black-haired girl to converse with Mako. “Ryuko had been excessively absent from school.” She said, getting right to the point. “I want to know why. Where is my sister, Mankanshoku?”

The girl blinked. “Ryuko’s at home.” She said. “She’s been getting really really sick, and sometimes she can’t even leave the house ‘cause her head’s always stuck in the toilet, which is really bad sometimes because mom doesn’t always gets the freshest ingredients for her croquets and we need to use the toilet too, only we can’t because Ryuko’s puking so much.”

Satsuki blinked. She’d forgotten that Mankanshoku tended not to have a mental filter when it came to speaking with people. The young woman cast the excess information aside, hoping to banish it from her brain before any horrid mental images could lodge themselves in her mind. “Has Mr. Mankanshoku discovered what is wrong?”

Mako shook her head. “Nope.” There was no cheer in her voice, Satsuki noted. “Papa says he doesn’t have the equipment to figure out what’s really wrong with her. He can only make hypothermias based off what’s happening to her.”

“I believe the word you are looking for is hypothesis, Mankanshoku.” Gamagori said, and Mako nodded.

“What does your father believe is wrong with Ryuko?” Satsuki asked, dragging the subject back on track before it had a chance to derail in a manner only Mako could accomplish.

“Papa thinks she’s got a severe case of food poisoning.” The girl replied, but Satsuki could hear a sliver of doubt in her voice.

“And what do _you_ think is wrong with her, Mankanshoku?”

Mako looked up, startled. “ _Me_?” She asked, pointing to herself. At Satsuki’s nod, the girl sucked in a deep breath. “I think it’s something bad because Ryuko’s got an iron stomach and she never gets sick of Mom’s food like Inumata did when he tried Mom’s croquets and I’ve seen her with this look on her face like she’s hurt but when I ask she says she’s not but its Ryuko who’s always acting tough so who knows but I’m pretty sure it’s not food poisoning.”

“Breath Mankanshoku. You don’t need to shout everything out in one breath.” Gamagori advised, a hint of carefully restrained amusement in his voice.

Satsuki frowned. “I’m going to see Ryuko after school today.”

Mako’s eyes widened. “What?” She asked, exaggerating the word by drawing it out. “But Ryuko doesn’t want you to worry! She told me not to tell you because she thought you’d take thinks the wrong way and she-“ The girl paused, brown brows furrowing together in thought. “…did she tell me not to tell you that she was feeling sick?” The girl shrugged. “Anyways, she doesn’t want you to come over but if you do that means we can all have dinner together and then Mom can prove that it wasn’t her special croquettes that got Ryuko sick.”

Gamagori smile gingerly. “I’m sure your mother isn’t at fault for whatever ailments plague Matoi.” He said reassuringly, and Satsuki nodded. Inumata had been the only one among the Devas, Nudist Beach, and the Mankanshoku family to suffer any ill effects; however that could also be because of the fact that the blue-haired teen suffered from a mild peanut allergy, and had probably grown ill from the oil used.

That and out of everyone present at the time, Hoka probably had the weakest stomach of them all.

“I’ll meet you in the student parking lot after school today.” Satsuki said, gaining a startled look from both Mako and Ira. “Gamagori, if you don’t mind I’d like you to drive us both to the Mankanshoku household.” Seven months ago, such a request would have been an order.

Yet none the less the large man bowed. “As you wish Lady Satsuki.” Straightening, the intimidating figure looked towards Mako. “We shall be in the student parking lot at 1530. Do you recall the car that I own?”

Mako nodded enthusiastically. “It’s the big pink one!” She cried, and Ira’s brow ticked once in suppressed irritation.

The man nodded. “Yes Mankanshoku. You are correct. We shall meet with you after school. Now hurry and return to class before the bell rings.” He instructed, and with a yelp the younger girl turned and bolted, crying something about lunch and croquettes.

The duo watched the girl disappear before Ira diverted his attention to Satsuki. “Will this be alright?” He asked, voice low and subdued to prevent the possibility of eavesdropping. “You have prior engagements after school today. Would you like me to tell Iori to reschedule?”

A brief smile fled across Satsuki’s face, so quickly that it almost looked to be an illusion. “No, it’s fine.” She murmured. “If Ryuko _is_ sick, then we can take her with us to the hospital.” The student council president sighed, and together the duo began to walk towards their next class. “As much as I appreciate Mr. Mankanshoku’s skill and aid during the COVERS invasion, I also know that he is vastly under equipped to care for all but the most minor of injuries.” The girl frowned. “As such, taking her with us will kill two birds with one stone. I can meet with Iori and Nonon after Ryuko is checked out and kill two birds with one stone.”

Ira nodded in understanding. “I see.” He murmured.

The school bell rang in warning, signaling the end of the lunch period.

“Allow me to escort you to class, Lady Satsuki.”

Another brief smile, followed by a nod, and through the wreckage of a damaged fortress of a school the two made their journey to homeroom.

~*~

The Mankanshoku household and illegal clinic was only in a slightly better condition than the rest of the town.

Like the rest of Honno City, it had become collateral with the battle against Ragyo and the Original Life Fiber. However, thanks in part to the slowly budding relationship between two newly established sisters, Ryuko had been able to convince her older sister to focus a hefty chunk of the reconstruction force on the lower slums district, providing shelters for those who’d lost their homes while repairing those few portions that looked salvageable.

While respectful of her younger sibling’s wishes to remain with the Mankanshoku family, Satsuki’s new-found freedom from her mother’s reign did not mean she was without standards. As such, the household was one of the first to be repaired, even going so far as to temporarily upgrade the small family to a one star housing unit while renovations were completed. While the new Kiryuin matriarch offered to provide the family residence in her own home, the family had quickly declined.

Ryuko later reminded Satsuki of the Fight Club incident, explaining to her how the family had come to an unanimous agreement afterwards to remain in their more ‘humble’ abode.

While odd, Satsuki decided to take it as a show of their character. The older sibling didn’t argue on the matter, though she did have small renovations made to the residence, such as a working toilet and a dishwasher after noticing that neither appeared in the house. While she’d kept it to herself, Suyuko Mankanshoku, Mako’s mother, had approached Satsuki about it on one of Satsuki’s rare visits to Ryuko. The older woman had pulled her aside and thanked her with a near-bone crushing hug, but otherwise had said nothing of the renovation.

In that moment, Satsuki thought she understood why Ryuko preferred living as she was to a life of luxury.

Ragyo had been many things in Satsuki’s life, but ‘warm’ and ‘kind’ were both absent from her twisted character.

The pink Cadillac pulled up beside the small car Mako’s father used for house calls. Mataro, Mako’s younger brother, greeted them as Ira turned the engine off. “ _Wow_ …” The boy said in awe. “That big guy’s car really _is_ pink!” He looked up at Satsuki. “And Ryuko’s crazy sister is here too!”

Ira scowled at the youth, who ignored him in favor of his sister. As Mako exited the vehicle, the lad stood tall and straight, saluting his sister with all the discipline of an untrained child soldier. “Ma’am, Prisoner Ryuko just woke up an hour ago. She has eaten the mystery miso soup but has refused to eat any croquettes.”

Mako frowned, returning the sloppy salute with an equally bad one. “Has she been able to hold anything down, Private?”

“Nope.”

Mako moaned. “That’s not good.   What about water?”

Mataro shrugged helplessly, and Mako groaned louder.

Satsuki cleared her throat. “Perhaps we should see for ourselves?” She offered, a hint of the old steel that had been present when her mother was alive creeping into her voice. It provided little room for argument, and perhaps remembering who was among them Mako nodded swiftly in agreement.

The two Mankanshoku siblings led Satsuki and Ira inside the household. The family dog and an obnoxious wail greeted them upon entering, with a colorful line of language following them as the door shut behind them.

Ira raised a golden brow. “Sounds like Matoi’s lungs are healthy, at least.”

Mako vanished through a door. “Ryuko! Your big sister’s here to see you! Are you decent?”

More vicious language assaulted the ears of those present. “No!” Ryuko snapped, her voice muffled by the thin walls of the house. A door slid open and shut. “Damn it Mako, why’d you bring her here? I told you not to tell anyone!”

“Hurry up and get changed!” Mako cried, and Satsuki and Ira shared a look. “You’re sister’s all worried about you ‘cause you’ve been missing school and I got to ride in Gamagori’s car because of it! It was fun!”

A frustrated growl, and once more a door slid open. Satsuki peeked around the corner, meeting eyes with a miserable looking Ryuko. The teen was wearing a black and white jacket with a white flame pattern on the back; something that had become a staple item on her person after Ragyo’s defeat and REVOC’s recovery from the Life Fibers disaster. A pair of loose fitting black jeans went with it, though the girl didn’t look very comfortable in them. She leaned heavily on the door’s threshold precariously, a lackluster glare on her face directed towards Satsuki.

The older girl returned it with a worried frown. “You look horrible.” She said bluntly, causing Ryuko to sigh. The girl’s skin was a pallid, sickly white, the bags under her eyes all too visible despite the distance that separated the siblings. “And stop blaming Mankanshoku. I confronted her on your continued absence from school.”

Ryuko scowled, looking away and running a hand through dark hair. “M’ fine.” She grumbled. “Just a bug is all.”

Satsuki raised a black brow. “A bug?” She parroted. “Have you been taking antibiotics?”

Ryuko sniffed in disdain. “I don’t need any antibiotics. All I need is a bit of rest and,” the girl’s face grew pale, “…and…” covering her mouth, Ryuko bolted out of her room and down the hallway, disappearing into the bathroom that lay at the end. The door slid shut, and Satsuki grimaced as the sound of retching reached her ears.

“Why don’t you have a seat in the dining room.” Beside her, Ira jumped, and Satsuki turned to find Suyuko watching them. “I’ve got some tea waiting for you while Ryuko…” the brunette’s gaze drifted to the bathroom, “…freshens up a bit.” The woman’s eyes strayed further down the hallway. “Mako, dear, you take care of Ryuko and make sure she’s cleaned up, okay?”

The girl nodded. “Got it, Mom!” She cried, and with a smile Suyuko gently ushered Satsuki and Ira out of the hallway and into the living room, where three cups of steaming tea rested on a small table.

Satsuki and Ira took a seat side by side, with Suyuko sitting down across from them both. Wasting no time, the short-haired girl got straight to the point. “What’s wrong with Ryuko?”

At this Suyuko frowned. “We don’t know.”

Beside her, Ira’s eyes widened. “Don’t know?” He asked. “But your husband is a doctor. He knows nothing?”

The Mankanshoku matriarch shook her head. “Miss Satsuki, Ira, you of all people should know that my husband lacks many of the resources that are so easily available to most doctors. Why else would he have the reputation he has now? Barazo is a good doctor, but he cannot perform miracles. Even with all the experience he’s gained here in the slums working in back allies and shady places, there is only so much he can do without risking a patient’s life.”

The woman shook her head. “Barazo has been doing his best to find out what ailment has been attacking Ryuko, and thus far he’s only been able to come up with a couple of ideas. One is that whatever is making her sick is getting worse.” Momentarily Suyuko’s frown deepened and the woman leaned back, peering out the hallway momentarily before setting her eyes once more and Satsuki. Suyuko lowered her voice. “In the past couple of days I’ve found blood in Ryuko’s garments. Not much; just small dots and stains that smell like lemon around the sleeves.” The woman shook her head. “I think she’s afraid of us worrying about her; about _Mako_ worrying about her, but…”

“What else does your husband know?”

Suyuko blinked, then sighed, taking a sip of her tea. “It isn’t a virus or a disease that plagues her.” She revealed. “Or if it is, it is not an airborne virus or bacterial agent.” The woman observed her cup for a moment. “Or one transmuted through ingestion, for that matter. If it was, we’d have all started showing signs similar to Ryuko.”

“True…” Ira rumbled. “Whatever this…thing is that Matoi has, she’s had it for over a month, at least. That’s more than enough time to infect another person, especially given the-” a look realization crossed his gaze, and immediately the large man bowed. “I apologize Mrs. Mankanshoku. That was uncalled for.”

Suyuko waved him off with a slight smile. “Don’t be. We’re all well aware of where we live. There’s a reason I work so hard to keep this place clean. Especially when my husband brings his work home with him.”

The woman had a point, Satsuki acknowledged. The slums were hardly a clean area to live, especially in a cramped house where everyone shared sleeping space. Diseases had the chance to run rampant in such an area, and when combined with a shady, illegal doctor working on patients carrying who knew what kind of viruses in their system…When she thought about it, the Mankanshoku household was incredibly sanitary.

“Regardless, if Ryuko is ill, I want to take her to a hospital. Today if possible.” Satsuki stated, taking control of the conversation once more. “Forgive me if I insult you or your husband; however, I fine Ryuko’s current state disconcerting. I want to know the cause of it and make sure it isn’t a prelude to something more serious.”

Suyuko nodded. “I understand.” She said. “Barazo and I are worried about her as well. It’s tearing Barazo apart seeing her this way and being unable to do anything about it.” The woman rose and bowed. “Thank you very much for looking out for Ryuko, Miss Satsuki. You’re a good big sister.”

With that the woman went about collecting tea cups that had largely been ignored, disappearing into the kitchen and leaving Ira to deal with a wide-eyed and heavily blushing Satsuki.

“I’m a good sister?” The words came out a startled squeak, and it was only many a year working with Satsuki and a great deal of discipline on Gamagori’s part that the man didn’t laugh.

He wasn’t able to contain the smile though. “Should you not be?” He asked in curiosity, and wide, startled blue eyes stared up into his. “You’ve been working hard these past six months to make amends with Matoi and have gone out of your way to ensure she feels welcome, not only around you, but around the Elite Four as well.” The man sent her a glance from the side. “You’ve even forced the Viper to sheathe her fangs around your sister. It’s almost made staying in Nonon’s presence _bearable_ when you’re not around.”

At that Satsuki smirked, the young woman slowly regaining her composure. The teen coughed. “You speak as though her words have any true venom to them, Gamagori.” She teased. “Surely a man such as you can handle something as harmless as words.”

“I supposed it would depend on the circumstances.” Ira grumbled, a thoughtful expression on her face. “While I care not for what she says of me or the other Elite Four, there are certain times I find her words…disrespectful.”

The man didn’t elaborate after that, and Satsuki didn’t press, well aware of just what-or rather _who_ -those… _disrespectful_ words were directed at. Gamagori’s…interest in Mankanshoku had never quite fizzled out in the past six months as Satsuki had initially been led to believe. On the contrary, though Mako had yet to show any interest outside of a loose friendship with the large man, Ira’s crush on her had only seemed to grow.

It had left him the butt of many a joke, as well as a constant victim to Nonon’s teasing to the point where even Satsuki got to the point where she needed the pink haired girl to tone it down a bit. Mako’s apparent interest in Ryuko didn’t help matters much either, and Ryuko’s knowledge of Gamagori’s feelings for Mako only made things worse.

Thinking about it now, Satsuki grimaced. No doubt Mako would force her way into their venture to the hospital, which was a good hour and a half away. _It’s going to be a long trip._

As though hearing Satsuki’s train of thought Mako appeared with a somewhat haggard-looking Ryuko in tow. “Hey! Mom said you wanted to take us somewhere!” Ryuko winced as Mako raised her voice.

Satsuki nodded. “We’re going to the hospital.”

Her sister straightened. “Hey, I didn’t say I was going no where!” She protested. “I ain’t going to no hospital, Satsuki. I’m fine right here!”

Mako joined her. “Yeah! We can’t go to a hospital! It’s too far away on Ryuko’s bike-she’d fall off after five minutes!”

“We’re taking my car, Mankanshoku.” Ira grumbled. “No one is falling off anything.”

“And I have an appointment with a colleague there as well.” Satsuki added. “It’s a rather important meeting and I dislike the idea of arriving late. However, since you are already up and moving about, I decided to bring you along with me in order to get some proper medication for you.” Just for a moment, a hint of the old, authoritative Satsuki that Ryuko couldn’t stand appeared, and likewise the girl set her jaw, stubbornly refusing to give in.

“Listen here, _Sis_ ,” Ryuko hissed. “I ain’t one a your lackeys that you can just order around. Now I said it once and I’ll say it again, _I’m staying here._ You got a play date, right? Then why don’t you get to ‘em rather than picking a fight with me?”

“Matoi, you’re coming with us whether you like it or not.” Gamagori’s voice was beginning to rise, and the man rose, taking a threatening step towards Ryuko. “You are in no state to argue on the matter and Lady Satsuki is concerned over your health.

“I _told_ ya-“

“Damn it Matoi, I will pick you up and drag you to my car if you don’t take yourself there _now_!” Gamagori roared.

“Just try it!”

“Stop!” Mako weaseled her way between the two would be opponents, arms crossed and raised in the air in a manner that preluded another one of her exaggerated rants. “Ryuko everyone is worried about you! Me, my family, your sister and even Gamagori! Dad doesn’t want to accidently kill you so you should take Satsuki’s offer and go to the hospital! That way you can get good medicine that will prevent you from mutating into a life fiber zombie girl!”

Ira stared. “What.”

Ryuko opened her mouth in protest, yet Mako wasn’t finished yet. “Hospitals are a good thing, Ryuko! You shouldn’t be afraid of them because of Dad! Papa may kill more people then he saves, but I’m certain it’s the opposite at a hospital. They can figure out a cure for anything!”

Satsuki raised a brow. “I don’t think that-“

“Let’s go!” Mako continued on as though Ira and Satsuki were pieces of furniture. “Onwards! To the hospital! The worst thing that can happen is the evil cult that works there tries to sacrifice you to an evil god!”

Ira’s jaw dropped.

Satsuki stared.

Ryuko gaped, and then laughed. “Fine, fine, we’ll do things your way.” She said with a smirk. The tension in the room seemed to vanish, and the teen ran a hand through her hair, looking at the brunette with a fond smile. “You win. If you’re all so worried about me, then screw it. I’ll go to the freaking hospital with ya.”

~*~

Honno Medical Hospital was a large, multi-story building located in the northern district of the region. The building was located in the two-star district; a private medical center that catered to those who once held star uniforms and those who generally had a higher paycheck than a majority of the population. A secondary hospital, South Honno Medical Clinic, sat subordinate to HMH and was open more towards the public. It was SHMCl that Ryuko desperately hoped the small group had been going to, due to the fact that it was more sympathetic to the needs of lower income families, offering special programs and discounts to no star families living in the slums.

Unfortunately Satsuki, being the head representative of the Kiryuin Group, as well as Ryuko’s own ‘magically elevated status’ to a Kiryuin, made such an option an impossibility. ‘Politics’, as Satsuki had tried to explain in Gamagori’s car, prevented someone with such a highly visible position from even stepping foot in a place like SHMC.

While Ryuko had half a mind to tell ‘politics’ where it could be shoved, Satsuki was also quick to reassure her sister that any medical bills procured would automatically be forwarded to the REVOC Corporation for payment rather than the Mankanshoku household.

It took a huge weight off Ryuko’s shoulders. Upon Ragyo’s death, Satsuki had opened a bank account in Ryuko’s name that was given a nice and tidy monthly allowance from the Kiryuin Group. With Satsuki and, strangely enough, Hoka Inumata’s guidance, Ryuko learned more about stocks and investments in two months than she had in six months of Home Economics. A small chunk of the money she had stored away ended up going back to the Mankanshoku’s, aiding in providing for groceries, clothing, and small, minor repairs around the house. Yet even with what Ryuko had tucked away, the girl doubted it be enough to pay for a medical bill from such a top tier medical facility

The hospital smelled heavily of antiseptic and cleaning supplies; the typical smells Ryuko had always come to associate with such facilities while growing up. Gamagori had dropped them off at the entrance before leaving to find a good parking space, leaving the girls to venture on together. As they passed through the sliding doors Ryuko wasn’t sure if she was surprised or not when the nurses working the counter rose and bowed to the small group.

“Welcome back, Miss Kiryuin.” One of the nurses greeted with a bow.

Satsuki nodded in acknowledgement. “Have Jakuzure and Iori arrived?”

The second nurse nodded. “Yes. Mr. Iori requested we let you know that they are both waiting in the third floor lobby for you.”

Something that might have passed for a smile glided across Satsuki’s face. “Good. I also want to schedule an appointment for Ryuko Matoi-Kiryuin.”

“Matoi- _Kiryuin_?” One of the nurses asked, and despite herself Ryuko stepped forward.

“Yeah, that’s me.” She said tersely. “Got a problem with that?”

The nurse quickly shook her head, bowing in apology. “Not at all, Miss Matoi-Kiryuin.” She said, catching the teen off-guard. “We can schedule an appointment with one of the residential doctors today at your earliest convenience.

“Good,” Satsuki replied, “Tell the doctor that we’ll be waiting for him near room 342. When Ira Gamagori arrives, please inform him of our location as well.”

The nurses bowed once more. “As you wish, Miss Kiryuin.”

Without another word Satsuki turned and walked off, leaving Ryuko and Mako to chase after her. Ryuko looked over her shoulder, then back to her older sibling. “I take it you come here a lot then?”

Satsuki frowned. “Childhood with two monsters is not easy on a person.” She replied. “Many would say I’m lucky to have survived so long with creatures like Nui wandering about.” There was a twisted bitterness in her voice, and Ryuko winced, realizing she’d overstepped a previously unknown boundary.

“Sorry.” She muttered, looking to the floor as she thought of a way to change the topic. “Sooo….is this different from most hospitals or are we just being treated nicely?” The teen tried. “I’ve never heard of a hospital where the doctors go to the patient.”

“REVOC is one of Honno Medical Hospital’s primary sponsors.” Satsuki went on. “The Kiryuin Group alone is responsible for forty-five percent of all funding for this center. As such, our name holds a certain weight with it.” Her tone had grown cold, and Ryuko could sense the old, iron Satsuki once more raising her head. “Once again, something you can thank our dearly departed mother for.” Ryuko could hear the hatred in her sister’s voice, and the girl resisted the urge to slam her head into a pillar they passed in aggravation.

Double Fuck.

The whole conversation was turning into a cluster fuck now, and desperately Ryuko tried one last time.

“So we’re meeting the Runt and Threads today?”

Here Satsuki froze, Ryuko and Mako coming to a stop behind her. The teen looked at Ryuko from over her shoulder. “ _Who_?”

Fuck. Triple fuck. Fucks to the heavens and back. This wasn’t going as Ryuko had hoped, as what had started as trying to start a simple conversation spiraled into black memories best left buried for her sister.

Ryuko grinned nervously, for once totally cowed by her sister’s attitude. “Jakuzure and Iori. We’re meeting them, right?”

“The Runt and Threads.” Satsuki repeated, and inwardly Ryuko winced. Perhaps calling Jakuzure a runt was a bad idea. Satsuki claimed to have known her since kindergarten, after all…

And then, to Ryuko’s surprise, Satsuki snorted before looking away. “That’s…oddly fitting.” The girl’s shoulders began to shake, and though she heard nothing Ryuko got the distinct impression of repressed laughter. “Please, Ryuko, for the sake of this visit resist calling either by such…nicknames.” The hatred was gone from her voice, and in its place came nothing but mirth. “This is a very important visit, and it would be disrespectful to both parties if an argument was to break out over something so belittling as name calling.”

Ryuko raised a black brow. “So long as Jakuzure does the same.” Of all the Elite Four, Nonon Jakuzure was the one person Ryuko simply refused to get along with. The pink-haired girl was aptly named a snake by her fellows, and Ryuko would kiss Ragyo before she allowed the girl’s venomous comments to go by without challenge.

The trio approached an elevator, and as Satsuki pressed one of its buttons the teen looked back at her. “She won’t. She knows better.” The young woman smiled. “Besides, Iori is liable to kick her out if she causes too big a commotion.”

When the elevator opened on the third floor, the trio was greeted to the sight of Nonon and Shiro nose-deep in books. The two sat at a small community table off against a wall, with several text books, note books, and papers spread out before them. Neither so much as acknowledged the newcomers, instead occasionally whispering to each other in hushed tones as the duo compared notes.

 _I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jakuzure so quite before._ Ryuko thought off-handedly. _She always seemed to go the way of ‘silence is golden, ducktape is silver.’ Never thought it’d only take something like homework to shut her up._

Her thoughts locked safely in her mind, the three students approached their peers. Nonon was the first to notice the group’s approach. Looking up, the pink-eyed youth started before rising to her feet. “Lady Satsuki!” She cried, only for Shiro to reach across the table and pull her back down with a hush. Nonon glowered at the blond, who did a remarkable job of ignoring it.

The lad looked up at Satsuki and her merry band of followers. “Good afternoon Lady Satsuki.” He then looked to Ryuko and Mako, nodding to them. “Matoi. Mankanshoku.”

The duo nodded to him, and Nonon spoke up. “Looks like you didn’t have a chance to change.” Her gaze drifted to Ryuko, and the two shared a glare. “I take it your current company is responsible for that?”

Ryuko growled at the veiled insult. “You got a problem with me?” She took a step forward, only to stop when Satsuki rested a hand on her shoulder. “I ain’t here ‘cause I want to be.”

“Ryuko’s sick!” Mako chirped, and as said girl mentally screamed at her friend’s big mouth Nonon smirked.

“So Little Matoi can’t take care of herself and the Mankanshoku patriarch doesn’t want to kill her.” She mocked. Poor Lady Satsuki, being forced to shoulder the burden of her younger sister.” The girl scoffed. “No wonder Lady Satsuki is still in her school uniform.”

Unlike Satsuki, Mako, and Ira, who’d gone straight to the Mankanshoku residence to grab Ryuko, it appeared as though Nonon and Shiro had enough time to return to their respective dwellings to change into something a little more comfortable; Nonon wearing what Ryuko considered a nauseatingly pink sweater with blue jeans while Shiro was dressed in a black turtleneck with a red, open-buttoned shirt on top and brown slacks.

Nonon sent Shiro a sly grin. “Better make sure you don’t catch anything from her, Iori.” She purred. “Wouldn’t want that virus to spread to anyone important. For all we know, she might have the plague.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Satsuki said, and with a smile Nonon nodded.

“Of course, Lady Satsuki.”

Shiro sent a mildly annoyed glance towards his shorter companion. “That’s enough, Jakuzure. We made a deal, remember?”

Nonon sighed dramatically but relented, and the blonde turned his attention back to Satsuki. “Gamagori informed me of what was happening after school.” He admitted. “Uncle gave me a spare change of clothes for you to change into later tonight.”

Satsuki’s smile was slight. “Thank you, Shiro.”

Ryuko raised an eyebrow. “What, so I take it this is more than just a social visit? Who got hit by a bus? Mr. Whack-a-Mole?”

Satsuki closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Sanageyama is fine. As is Inumata, if he was your second guess.” Her voice was tight and controlled, and past her Nonon was red in the face, looking very much like she wanted to spout out a retort.

Abruptly Iori rose. “Lady Satsuki, why don’t you and Jakuzure go and pay your respects. Am I correct in assuming you’ll be accompanying Matoi on her visit here?”

“Yes.”

The teen nodded. “I’ll stay back with Matoi and Mankanshoku while you see her then. I arrived earlier and already visited her once, and I’ll have plenty more time later on tonight.”

Satsuki watched Shiro carefully, a small frown on her face. “The doctor will be meeting us here.”

Shiro nodded. “I’ll let you know when he arrives.”

Slowly, the young woman nodded. “Come Nonon, let’s say hello while I’ve still got some time.” She looked over to Ryuko and Mako. “I’m trusting the both of you to stay here and behave yourselves.”

Ryuko snorted, plopping down in the seat Nonon had previously occupied. “Whatever you say _Mom_.”

Satsuki didn’t rise to the bait, yet as the two girls passed Shiro the taller youth clapped a hand on the blond’s shoulder. “Be aware of what you say.” She warned, and at his nod the duo departed down the hallway.

The remaining teens watched them go. “So who are they visiting?” Mako asked, her curiosity finally getting the better of her.

Shiro blinked, as though Mako had interrupted his thoughts and turned to look at the girl. “Mankanshoku, would you like to sit?” He offered his chair to the brunette, watching in amusement as the girl gleefully took it.

“Well aren’t you a gentleman.” Ryuko said, eyeing him from the side.

The blond shrugged. “Some things become habit when you live with a butler.” Gathering the multiple school materials in front of the two girls, the youth cleared the table. “I apologize for the mess. Nonon and I wanted to finish as much of our homework as possible before Lady Satsuki arrived.”

Ryuko shrugged it off. “S’all good. So who’s so important that’s staying at the hospital? No one’s said anything about it yet. You guys trying to avoid it or something? Cause I can go and stir some shit up with Jakuzure if that’s what it takes.” She joked.

“ _No_.” Shiro snapped, startling both teens.

Ryuko wasn’t as familiar with Iori as she was Satsuki or the other Four Devas. For the most part the youth was quiet and reserved, mostly keeping to himself with the occasional outing with Satsuki and two or three of the other Devas. The teen’s interactions with the Sewing Club President could be counted on one hand, the words exchanged between the duo even less, yet every time she’d spoken with him Iori had been almost annoyingly polite.

Seeing their faces, Shiro sighed. “I apologize. That was uncalled for Matoi.” The lad looked back down the hallway, Satsuki and Nonon having long vanished into one of the adjoining rooms. The teen scowled, crossing his arms and drumming his fingers on one elbow. “It’s…they’re visiting my mother.”

Mako gasped, drawing Iori’s attention. “You’re mom’s in the hospital?!” She cried. “What happened?”

Ryuko tilted her head to one side, a small frown on her face. “Was she a victim of the COVERS invasion?” While six months had passed, many people were still recovering from being fed on by the parasitic life fiber uniforms. Many of those with the weakest resistance to the alien threads had fallen into a comatose state upon their freedom. With it, a small epidemic had occurred in which many of the affected were killed due to lack of recognition and treatment of the parasites. Honno City, with its many prior-stars, Nudist Beach affiliates, and aid from the recovering REVOCS Corporation, was one of the areas least affected by the event due to the city’s experience with the alien life forms.

Iori shook his head. “No, this happened long before you even arrived at our school, Matoi.” He responded. “Mother’s…she’s been in the hospital since I was seven.” He paused, a flash of pain appearing on his face before continuing. “I…two children once did something very foolish and very dangerous. Mother was injured protecting one of them.”

“Wow…she must have been hurt real bad to still be in the hospital after all these years.” Mako said, and Iori nodded.

“Yes…she fell into a coma after an overexposure to the miasma life fibers produce.” He said, frowning deeply.

“Miasma?” Ryuko asked.

Again Shiro nodded. “You recall how Lady Ragyo was hosting the original life fiber and the Sewing Club’s own life fiber resources as well, correct?”

At Ryuko’s nod Iori continued. “Those were life fiber nests. When a large gathering of life fibers come together, they start creating an environment that is believed to simulate whatever world they originated from. The miasma is toxic to humans, which is why the Sewing Club wears protective suits and gas masks. In a small dose it induces a lethargic state in the victim; it’s the main chemical that COVERS used to inhibit their hosts, which is one of the reasons why so many people were comatose upon the original life fiber’s destruction.”

Mako’s head was starting to nod off at the explanation, yet Ryuko found her own interest peaked. “So what happens in higher doses then?”

The blond sucked in a deep breath. “At worst, death.” He breathed out. “The brain shuts down and automatic functions like breathing and heart rhythms begin to fail.” The lad rested a hand on his chest. “For those with a higher resistance though, they can fall into a similar comatose state as the victims of COVERS.” Iori sighed. “However…it’s difficult to say how long such a coma could last,” his gaze drifted once more down the hallway, “or if that person will ever recover from it.”

Ryuko rubbed the back of her neck self-consciously. “That sucks, Iori.” She said, feeling a little guilty for harassing her sister about the hospital visit. “So are Satsuki and Jakuzure visiting her now?”

“Yes,” Iori nodded, “Lady Satsuki, Nonon, and I grew up together. We were all present during the accident.”

“So is this the anniversary of the accident?” Ryuko asked, her own curiosity getting the better of her as she tilted her head to one side.

Behind Iori, the elevator rang and opened, and a woman in a pair of light blue scrubs began approaching them. “Matoi-Kiryuin?” She asked, gaining Ryuko and Shiro’s attention. “If you and your sister are available, I’d like to go over some paperwork before starting.”

The woman eyed the trio, and Shiro nodded to her. “If you’ll wait here a moment, I can retrieve Lady Satsuki for you.” The lad turned back to Ryuko. “It’s not.” He said.

Ryuko blinked. “What?”

“The anniversary of the accident. Today’s not that day.”

Dark brows furrowed together, and Ryuko frowned. “Then what day is it?”

“Today’s the anniversary of the day my mother offered Lady Satsuki a way out.”

And with those words the youth departed, leaving a startled Ryuko in his wake.


	2. Victims

_January 3 rd, 1989_

“I came as fast as I could.” Soroi found his brother in the waiting room of the hospital, a troubled expression on his face as the man stared into space. The dark haired man didn’t look up, and with a frown Soroi drew closer. “Kenji?” He asked, moving to sit next to the younger man. “Kenji, are you alright?”

The man visibly jumped, and Soroi took note of just how pale and shaken his younger brother was. Kenji looked up at him, golden eyes wide and filled with an incomprehensible terror that sat uneasily in Soroi’s chest. Alarmed now, the elder brother’s brows furrowed together in concern. “…Kenji?”

Kenji looked down, running his hands through his hair. “…Car.” He croaked, and for a moment a blanket of horrific ice formed a ball in Soroi’s chest..

 _An accident._ He thought, slowly drawing back and breathing deeply. _It finally happened. The bottle got him behind the wheel._ “Kenji.” His brother didn’t seem to hear him, and quickly Soroi checked the younger man over for any signs of damage. No torn clothes, no injuries he could make out…aside from visibly rattled, his brother seemed uninjured, thank the Kamis. “Kenji, hey, snap out of it.” The man looked up with a start. “Have you been drinking tonight?”

Kenji stared at him blankly, and Soroi stopped himself before he ran a hand through his own hair. Lady Kiryuin would not approve if he mussed his appearance any more than necessary. _‘One can easily lose her credibility in the fashion district through the appearance of her subordinates.’_ Ragyo’s words rang through his mind, and not for the first time he found himself regretting taking up the steward apprenticeship he’d been offered.

“Wasn’t drinking.” Kenji croaked. “Driving, sure. Wasn’t drinking, Mitsuzo. You know I’m trying to quit.” Kenji stared down at his hands. They were trembling. “Been dry for a month now. But then tonight…that woman, and that _car_ …I-I need a drink, I-“ The man swallowed, and speaking lowly, Soroi only just made out, “…wrong with the whole thing. Should have just left it as it was and-“

“Kenji, come here.” Soroi interrupted, gesturing the man forward and bringing his face near his brother’s. He certainly couldn’t _smell_ anything on his breath. Pulling back, the new butler stared at his sibling. “Tell me what happened.”

His younger brother swallowed. “I was heading to a party.” He said, his voice so soft that Soroi needed to lean in to hear him properly. “It was in one of the more secluded areas around town. There wasn’t anyone else on the road but me, and it was getting pretty late in the evening.” The man paused there, hesitant to go on, yet Soroi had learned nothing if not patience in his apprenticeship, and he waited his sibling out. His foot beating a nervous tempo on the floor, Kenji continued. “So I found…I don’t know if it was a wreck or what-a bike, a car, and some woman sprawled out in the midst of it all. Right in the middle of a four way intersection.”

Kenji leaned back into his chair and sighed, his gaze traveling to the ceiling. “I-I pulled over. You know, to help ‘em out and everything. But the woman was out cold, and…I couldn’t find anyone else around.” Kenji rubbed his arms nervously, looking up at Soroi with desperate gold eyes. “You gotta believe me—she was the _only_ person there. No one else. Not in the car, not in any ditches, nothing. I _checked”_ The man leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs. Slowly, his body began to rock. “But when I went to take care of that woman…the car, that fucking _car_ man, it…it…it was like there was someone else inside of it! It started doing all these weird things-the engine revving to life, and the horn—it sounded like someone was screaming bloody murder! _But the car was empty!_ ”

By now Kenji was to the point of hysterics, and quickly Soroi moved in to calm the man down. “Take it easy, Kenji, lower your voice.” Soroi grabbed his younger brother by the shoulders. “Kenji—people are staring Kenji, take a deep breath. Calm down, that’s it.” Slowly, still shaking beneath his grip, the man sucked in a trembling breath. “Good.” Soroi breathed. “Now, did anyone try to follow you? The car? Did you notice anything else out of the ordinary?”

Kenji shook his head. “Too freaked to think about anything following me.” He croaked. “Came here instead.”

“Did you at least call the police?”

At that his brother nodded, moving to cup his chin in one hand as he once more stared forlornly out at nothing. “Called as soon as they took the woman.” He said. “Then I called you.” The younger man looked at him from the side, and once more Kenji’s eyes widened in dawning comprehension. “Oh no.” He whimpered. “Oh shit. Mitsuzo, what if they think _I’m_ responsible for everything?” He whispered harshly, voice growing frantic with uncertain possibilities. “What if they think I’m the one who hit the woman? What if they don’t find the car?”

“Kenji, no one is-“

“That car wasn’t right, Mitsuzo!” Kenji continued on as though not hearing the man. “That car-it was _alive_! I know it! What if that car leaves the crime scene? What if it comes after _me_?”

Soroi sighed in slight irritation. “No one is going to blame you, Kenji.” He tried, a part of him all too aware of the five other exhausted, nervous people in the waiting room who were beginning to pay more and more attention to them. “You did the right thing. You called the police and gave a statement. You brought the woman to the hospital. There’s nothing more you can do right now and they can’t prosecute you without any evidence that speaks otherwise.”

“But-“

“How about we go and see if the nurses will fill us in on what happened to your woman.” Soroi interrupted. _I need to distract him before the nurses kick us out._ “I’m sure if we asked nicely enough, they’d be more than willing to share some information with us.”

Kenji stared. “But…we’re not family.” He said. “We’re not family and she didn’t have any ID on her and-“

“Minor details for us to work around.” Soroi reassured. “Now let’s go. You’re scaring the children.” Rising to his feet, Soroi pulled his brother up as well, half-guiding, half-dragging him up to the receptionist desk.

“Excuse me, Ma’am?” The woman behind the desk eyed him wearily, though her eyes tended to drift more towards Kenji, who fiddled with his hands nervously as he tried to avoid her gaze. “We were wondering about the status of a patient who was brought in recently.”

“I need a name and serial number before I can hand out any information.” The receptionist said with a slight frown.

Soroi lightly kicked his brother in the leg, being careful not to scuff his shoes. Ragyo would throw a _fit_ if he ruined his shoes, and after seeing some of the tantrums she’d thrown with her other victims, Soroi had made a silent vow not to fall to such lows. Beside him Kenji jumped, then looked over at the receptionist. “Ah…she was a-a Jane Doe that was brought in.” He said. “I uh, recognized her from a-a party, but I never got her name. I wanted to see how she was doing.”

“And do you have the serial code assigned to her?”

Soroi looked at his brother, who rubbed the back of his head nervously. “…No.” He muttered.

“Then I can’t give you any information on the patient. Our policies are meant to keep such information confidential for the protection of the patient and their family. Unless you have a serial code I’m unauthorized to give you any information on the patient.”

Kenji looked away, discouraged, yet Soroi merely smiled. “Kenji, would you mind getting the lovely lady behind the desk here a caffeinated beverage?” He asked, turning to his brother. “These night shifts are far from invigorating, and I’m sure Miss…” he paused, taking a quick glance at the woman’s name tag. “Satomoi would greatly appreciate it. If not know, than surely later as the night fast approaches dawn.”

Eying him warily, Kenji slowly nodded. “…Right…you got it.” He said, before leaving for a vending machine. Scrounging some loose yen from his pocket, the man sent a wayward glance to his older brother, watching as Soroi quietly spoke with Miss Satomi. The vending machine was too far away for him to hear anything, yet from his occasional glances towards Mitsuzo, Kenji could already tell he was wooing the receptionist. _Blasted Casanova._ At least he wasn’t feeling _quite_ as nervous as before. Mitsuzo had always been good at redirecting his attention.

Though his brother was twice Kenji’s age, few could tell just by looking at him. The man was in his prime, a gentleman who’d always been able to outshine the younger man. Looking at him, it would have been hard to believe Mitsuzo originally came from one of the lower income families. Not with the tux he was dressed in, or his expensive shoes, or-

Abruptly he cut the thought off, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment and jumping as the vending machine dropped a canned coffee into the retrieval box. Reaching down to grab it, once more Kenji stole a glance towards the receptionist desk. Mitsuzo appeared deep in conversation with Satomoi, leaning in close to the woman as he went into detail over…something. The receptionist leaned in as well, eyes large and attentive as she hung on to his every word. “A butler.” Kenji muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. “He could have been anything. Instead he decides…”

Sighing, the dark haired man slowly made his way back to his older brother. With drink in hand he approached the duo, nerves running high as Mitsuzo murmured something to the receptionist, before Miss Satomoi covered her mouth in gentle laughter. _Probably talking about me._ He thought anxiously.

“Ma’am, your drink.”

Miss Satomoi, her cheeks flushed a light and embarrassed pink, accepted the drink from him as Mitsuzo flashed her a charming smile. Gently, he took one of her hands in his, kissing her knuckles before straightening. “Madam, thank you so much for your help.” He said, lightly squeezing her hand before releasing it. The receptionist drew the limb back, pink darkening into a brilliant shade of red as she nodded quickly. “Perhaps I shall see you again in the upcoming visits, as I’m certain my concerned sibling shall be making this trip often to visit his fiancé.”

Kenji almost dropped. _Fiance? When did-who is-what the flying fuck is he talking about?!_

Miss Satomi smiled before shooing them both off with a wave of her hand. “Off with the both of you.” She ordered. “Heavens, were I not ten years younger and single…” She trailed off with shake of her head, and granting her a parting smile Mitsuzo turned, grabbed Kenji by the elbow, and directed him towards the elevator.

It wasn’t until the elevator doors shut behind them that Mitsuzo released a relieved sigh. Kenji stared. “ _Fiancé_?” He demanded. “Who in the seven blistering hells is my _fiancé_?”

“Why your woman of the evening, of course.” Mitsuzo said without pause, glancing at his younger brother from the side with a sly smile. “You poor man, already suffering so badly from a past trauma that you constantly forget your wife-to-be’s face, thinking her a total stranger on the night she was unfortunate enough to be hit by a car while returning to her beloved’s arms.” The man gestured dramatically for added effect.

Kenji stared, his mouth hanging open in shock. Finally, he had enough sense to close it, swallowing tightly as he felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment. “Amnesia?!” It took all his self-control to prevent Kenji from yelling. “You told that woman I have _amnesia_?”

“It worked, didn’t it?”

Kenji sputtered out a response that sounded more like a variety of half-formed curses. “Where the hell-Have you always been this full of shit or have you been brown nosing up to that Kiryuin chick so much you-“

The elevator came to a stop, and Mitsuzo quickly hushed him before Kenji could complete his insult. The doors opened, and an exhausted nurse stared at them with shadowy eyes. “Let’s go, Kenji.” His brother mumbled, stepping around the nurse even as the woman moved to take their place. The doors shut behind them with a _ding_ , and Kenji glared at his older sibling.

“You’re an ass, Mitsuzo.” He growled.

Mitsuzo shrugged, unconcerned. “When working for a woman like Kiryuin Ragyo, it’s hard not to be.” He said. “Now let’s go see your future wife.”

Gritting his teeth and grumbling under his breath, his nerves all but forgotten, Kenji followed his brother down the hallway and to one of the doors on their right. Mitsuzo gestured for him to do the ‘honors’, and with a grunt Kenji slowly opened the door.

The room was mostly dark, the lights having been dimmed to their lowest setting. Off to the far corner of the room, a heart monitor beeped a steady rhythm, with the curtains drawn over the window looking out to the streets below. The woman stirred as the two brothers entered, and as Mitsuzo shut the door behind them, the blond slowly moved to sit up, struggling as they grew near.”

“Who are you?” The woman croaked, her voice harsh and rough with pain. “You…you don’t look like doctors.”

“We’re not.” Kenji explained. “I found you, I-“ The man paused, then bowed in front of the blond, causing the woman to start. “I’m sorry. My name is Iori Kenji.” Straightening, Kenji gestured to his brother, who gave a smaller bow from where he stood in the doorway. “And this is my older half-brother, Soroi Mitsuzo.”

The woman stared at them both with wide eyes that bordered on unease, and an uncomfortable silence fell upon the room. Kenji rubbed the back of his head. “Ah, sorry, it’s just…I wanted to check up on you, you know, see how you were doing and everything.”

“Check up on me?”

Kenji grinned lopsidedly. “I found you lying outside on a road. It looked like you were in some kind of accident, so I brought you here. How are you doing?”

The woman blinked in surprise before golden brows furrowed together in a grimace. “I…my body hurts and tingles, almost as if I was struck by lightning.” She mumbled. “And my head…” The Jane Doe closed her eyes, clutching her forehead with one hand. “It… _hurts._ Like…I can’t describe it; like something’s wrong, but I don’t know what.”

Kenji winced. “That doesn’t sound so good.” He said. “Have you told any of the nurses or doctors about that?”

The woman looked up at him with one shockingly red eye. “I’ve been telling everyone who comes in here asking about it.” She responded. “I don’t really know what else to do right now.”

“Right, of course.” Kenji released a nervous laugh, eyes darting to where his brother stood next to the door stoically, as quiet and noticeable as, well…a butler. The man returned his gaze to the blond, who peered up at him with a frown. “So…what’s your name?” He tried, only to find the woman’s frown deepened.”

“You mean you don’t know?” The woman asked, catching Kenji off guard.

“Ah…I-I’m sorry, but no, I don’t.” Kenji replied. “…Should I?” She certainly didn’t _look_ famous, even with the noticeable blond hair. As far as he was concerned, she’d been nothing but a tourist in his mind.

“Well, you found me, so I was hoping you did.” The woman continued. “Because I haven’t a clue.”

“You-amnesia?” A lump formed in the pit of Kenji’s stomach, and despite himself the man looked back behind him, towards Mitsuzo who’d come up with that _ridiculous_ story to get them in here. Mitsuzo’s face was set in a very careful, neutral expression. _Not so funny when it’s real, is it?_ A voice teased in his mind, and swallowing Kenji looked back at the woman.The man took a deep breath. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

“What?”

“I mean, with anything-something you need, anything you think my trigger your memories, you name it. I’ll get it for you.” The man took a step forward, causing the woman to jerk in her bed, back pressing against the headboard. Somewhere, the heart monitor’s steady rhythm spiked, yet Kenji didn’t seem to notice. “I…I feel kind of responsible for you, since I’m the one who found you. And if you don’t have any memories and they can’t identify you, you’re going to have a tough road ahead of you. No one should face that kind of thing alone, so…”

And then she smiled.

The nameless blond, whom he’d first met lying unconscious in front of a fallen bike and a possessed car smiled, and Kenji felt his heart flutter weakly in his chest. He returned the smile with a beaming one of his own, then moved to pull up a chair next to her bed. “I…Thank you, Mr. Iori.”

The two began to speak in soft voices to each other, each in rapt attention with the other as they conversed.

And through it all, Soroi Mitsuzo watched with an inward frown. For where Kenji had seen nothing but a smile, Soroi had witnessed something very different. Foreign markings on her face and forehead that glowed an ominous red before fading, eyes an equal shade that glowed cruelly in the poor lighting of the room as she smiled. Soroi saw it all, and even as the alien glow faded to something that could have been passed for his imagination, something…that cold lizard that dwelled in the back of his mind, left him on guard. _This woman…I don’t like this woman._ He thought, watching as an infatuated grin crossed his younger brother’s face.

_This woman is dangerous._

~*~

_Present Day_

“There are several forms we need you to fill out before we can continue, Miss Matoi-Kiyruin, Miss Kiryuin.” The nurse handed the two siblings each a stack a papers. “We need to know any medical history you might have, as well as things such as insurance, family history…” The woman went on, and Ryuko groaned internally as she idly flipped through the multiple sheets.

 _I miss Mr. Mankanshoku already._ The teen thought moodily, _at least there was never any paperwork involved._

Satsuki nodded politely to the nurse. “We will need some time to go through everything.”

The nurse bowed. “Of course, Miss Kiryuin. Take as much time as you need. I have some patients I need to check up on, so I’ll leave you two alone to take care of the paperwork. I’ll come back in around fifteen minutes or so to see how you are doing. Is that alright?”

Her sister smiled slightly. “That should be fine.” She said, and with a slight bow the nurse departed, leaving the small group in peace.

As soon as the nurse rounded the corner Ryuko threw the paperwork down on the table in disgust. “Medical history? _Family_ history?” The girl snorted. “What am I supposed to say? Mom was a life-fiber hybrid freak of nature with a history of psychopathic tendencies? That she made _me_ a damned hybrid? Or should I forgo all of that and simply say I’m allergic to starch and advil?”

Mako poked the stack of papers unenthusiastically. “Are all hospitals like this?” She asked. “Papa never asked for this kind of stuff, ever. Course, people tended to die when they didn’t tell us they were allergic to latex, but…” The girl shrugged. “Our customers never had to jump through hoops like this.”

“And thus the high mortality rate your father has acquired.” Jakuzure piped up behind Mankanshoku, and Ryuko jumped. The girl really _was_ a viper. Silent and deadly all the way to the point when she struck, with a bite just as venomous.

Mako seemed to take the older girl’s words in stride, however. “Yep!” She chirped. “But the ones who live never need to come back to the clinic again!”

“Probably because they’re too afraid of whatever’s in your father’s needles.” The shorter girl muttered darkly.

Satsuki cleared her throat and Jakuzure sighed dramatically. “Alright, alright.” She moaned.

The school president didn’t even bother with a response, nose deep in papers as she dotted down one piece of information after another on the lines. “Answer what you can, Ryuko.” She advised. “Put down anything you can that does not have to do with life fibers or your involvement with them. I’ll take care of that part.”

Ryuko scowled. “What, don’t tell me the docs here can actually do something for a… _special_ case like me.”

Satsuki sighed deeply. “Someone had to look after Mother when she became… _that_.” She countered. “The same could be said for Nui as well.”

The younger sibling looked up sharply. “Oi, I ain’t going to the same doc that looked over _that_ crazy bitch.”

Satsuki frowned, shuffling her papers before once more scribbling information on the forms below. “Considering that Nui killed just about anything that wasn’t directly related to her, I doubt that will be a problem for you.” The girl missed her younger sister’s sour expression. “This hospital _is_ familiar with life fibers, however, and the doctors here stand a better chance at properly diagnosing any ailments you might be suffering from, given your unique physiology.”

Ryuko glared at her sister. “That doesn’t make me feel any better.” She grumbled.

Satsuki snorted, a slight smirk on her face. “I was unaware my dear baby sister was so nervous around doctors.” She said lightly. “If it brings you any comfort, I’ll be there right next to you in case the nurses come calling for blood samples, though considering your experience with Senketsu, I don’t see how that would be a problem for you.”

“Hey, I ain’t afraid of needles!” Ryuko snapped, flushing indignantly at her sister’s accusations. :And I’m not afraid a’ no doctors either.” She said with a huff. “I just think this whole thing is being blown out of proportion because _you’re_ overreacting.”

“Nonsense.” Came Satsuki’s reply. “Besides, you’re in a deep need of a hospital visit anyways. What was the last vaccination you received?”

Ryuko growled and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at her older sibling.

“That’s what I thought. Now stop pouting like a five year old and finish your paperwork.” Satsuki instructed. “The sooner we’re finished, the sooner you and Mankanshoku can leave.”

“Yeah?” Ryuko challenged. “And what about you?”

“Lady Satsuki will be staying here in the hospital with Iori and me.” Nonon piped up. “We’ve got things to take care of here, things that don’t require your presence. Or the Underachiever, for that matter.”

Ryuko scowled, doodling in place of answering some medical inquiry about hereditary diseases. “Then who’s gonna take us back? We got school tomorrow. Don’t tell me you guys are planning to skip that too.”

Satsuki grunted. “Gamagori will drive you back.” She said. “While he is…familiar with Iori’s mother, he is also uninvolved. As this more has to do with the Iori family than my own, Gamagori will respect Iroi’s wishes and return home with you two in tow.” The young woman paused to scribble some tidbit of information down on one of the forms. “Come morning, Soroi will come to pick us up and drop us off at school.” The teen looked up, meeting her sister’s gaze with chilled, serious blue eyes. “I expect to see you on school grounds, Ryuko.”

The younger girl sniffed. “Hey, it ain’t like I’m skipping on purpose or nothing.” She growled. “I can’t help it if I’m heaving my lungs out to the great porcelain god in the bathroom.” Mako snickered beside her, gaining frowns from both siblings.

The elevator dinged, and Ryuko looked up, watching with a raised brow as Gamagori entered with several bags that smelled hot and greasy. The girl’s stomach grumbled in protest at the mere scent of the junk food, and feeling bile rise at the back of her throat, the teen stood abruptly. The other three girls stared in mixed curiosity before Ryuko choked out, “bathroom”. Nonon pointed in one direction, and as Ryuko bolted around a corner she could hear the girl’s cackle chasing after her.

The teen raced down the hallways, almost bumping into Iori, who was exiting one of the rooms. The lad quickly stumbled back, and all but ignored Ryuko hurried past him. The teen watched the girl go with a puzzled frown before stepping back out of the room, gently shutting the door behind him. Gamagori was passing food out when the blond joined the rest of the group, the larger teen- _man_ -sacrificing what may have been his own meal to a drooling Mako.

“Was something amiss with Ryuko?” The teen asked, making his way to the others and gingerly accepting a burger Nonon shoved in his face.

“It seems Ryuko’s stomach is more sensitive than I was mistakenly led to believe.” Ira said, looking past the smaller blond and further down the hallway. “This was the easiest food to come across that was not strictly from a hospital vending machine.” The large man bowed to Satsuki, who waved him off. “I apologize. I did not mean to antagonize Matoi’s condition.”

Mankanshoku shrugged. “It’s not your fault, Gamagori.” She said, trying to sound chipper for someone-Ryuko’s or Ira’s-sake. “She hasn’t been able to keep much of anything down the past few days. If she wasn’t able to keep the soup Mom was making for her down, Papa was threatening to put her on an IV.”

Satsuki blinked. “She’s been _that_ bad?”

Nonon stared. “What organ’s did your dad sell off to get an IV drip? Is it even _safe_?”

Mako huffed dramatically. “Of course it’s safe!” She cried. “And it’s blood, not organs he sells. Organs are harder to preserve than you’d think. Blood is easier and can be accumulated a lot more easier.” In a softer voice the girl muttered, “we only get organ donors from the dead. Haven’t had a good dead patient in months, though…”

Nonon stared at Mako before looking down at her burger. Frowning, the girl set it down. “Well isn’t _that_ reassuring.” She grumbled to herself.

Satsuki cleared her throat, and Mako jumped before nodding. “Oh yeah, for a little while it got really scary because for a day or two, Ryuko couldn’t even hold water down. That’s when Papa started turning away clients in order to better watch over her.”

“I see…” Thick brows furrowed together, and Satsuki drummed the table top with her fingers in thought.

“Miss Kiryuin?” The teen looked up, finding the nurse from before approaching them. “Are you and Miss Kiryuin-Matoi ready?” The woman asked, drawing near. “There’s still a small insurance policy I’m afraid I need to go over with you before we can continue…”

Cutting off any other thoughts for later, Satsuki stood abruptly. “I understand.” She said. “Is there any place where we can speak in private?”

“Yes, if you’ll follow me please?” The woman turned towards a staff room, and with a determined look on her face Satsuki followed after.

“Have Ryuko finish the paperwork while I’m gone.” The youth instructed over her shoulder. “This should not take long.”

~*~

Ryuko left the bathroom with an empty stomach and a raw throat, her face lightly flushed as she ran a hand through her hair. Some of the strands were wet from where she’d washed her face after ungraciously upchucking the small amount of water and broth the teen had been able to choke down for lunch. The girl’s head pounded painfully in her skull, causing the youth to grimace. “Jus’ had to bring in that crap.” She muttered under her breath, dragging her feet as she made her way back to the table Mako, her sister, and Satsuki’s little pack were sitting. “Was doing fine the entire car ride. Didn’t puke my guts out or nothing. Then that overgrown toad has to come back with freaking _burgers_ -“ The girl paused, nausea returning as she remembered the god-awful smell of grease and oil that was normally so common to her. Leaning against the wall, the girl covered her mouth, glaring angrily at the ground as she swallowed back another assault from her rebellious stomach.

“Miss?” A voice rose behind her. “Miss, are you alright?”

 _No I’m not alright you idiot!_ Ryuko screamed in her mind, slowly glancing over her shoulder and seeing another nurse, this one bearing basket of some sort, in her arms. The woman looked at her in obvious concern, placing the basket down in one of the chairs resting along the opposing wall.

“M’ fine.” The teen mumbled, turning away and making an active attempt to leave the nurse behind her. Maybe if she could get to Mako and Satsuki, the two of them could drive the nurse away. Mako with sheer exuberance and Satsuki through intimidation. What Ryuko most certainly did _not_ want was for this random nurse to take a vested interest in her. “Jus’ tired.” She tried. “Been studying for…finals. Didn’t sleep ‘till three last night.” Not all entirely untrue. Finals _were_ just around the corner, and the last she’d looked at the clock before finally drifting off into a restless sleep, it had been around three in the morning.

“Ah, I see.” The nurse behind her said with a knowing voice. Ryuko ignored her and continued to walk, deliberately pushing herself off the wall as she ordered her body to walk a straight line back to the others. “Are you one of Iori’s friends, then?” The woman continued, and Ryuko paused. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before. He normally doesn’t bring many people with him when visiting his mother.”

This woman was really starting to irritate her. Plastering a large smile on face, Ryuko looked back over her shoulder at the woman. “Sure.” She said. “Ah…Gamagori and…Satuski brought me over.” Really, what the hell did this nurse want from her? A confession? Were all the nurses here so…chatty? In the back of her head, the pounding grew more intense, and the teen hid her grimace behind and even wider, faker smile. “Jus’ came to drop some stuff off for the others.”

The nurse smiled warmly at her. “You children are so sweet.” She gushed. “Always looking out for one another and supporting each other. It’s not often you find such dedication in the younger generations.” The woman beamed at Ryuko, before once more picking up her basket. “Well, since you’re familiar with Iori, could you do me a favor and pass this on to him?” The woman offered the dark-haired teen the basket. “It’s a gift for him and his family, poor lad; a care package from all us nurses here.”

The basket was made of woven straw, its contents hidden by a light blue sheet decorated with smiling white bunnies. Ryuko took the basket gingerly, the smell or roses wafting up from the basket and causing her stomach to churn violently. “Ah…sure.” The teen mumbled, the scent causing her head to pound with an increased intensity. “I’ll make sure he gets it.”

“Thank you, Dear.” The woman continued, the smile momentarily dropping from her face in concern. “You’re certain you’re alright though? You seem awfully pale.”

The girl waved her off. “I’m good.” She repeated. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” The nurse frowned. “Really, don’t worry.”

The nurse bit her lip, uncertainty in her eyes. “If you’re sure…” She mumbled.

Ryuko nodded hurriedly, regretting it instantly as her head began to spin, and deterred the nurse nodded as well. “You make sure to get some sleep in, okay?” She said. “All that studying won’t do you much good if you’re too exhausted to process it.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

The woman nodded slightly before turning and heading back the way she came, rounding a corner and vanishing from sight. Ryuko watched her go before collapsing against the wall once more. The girl dropped the basket, clutching her head with both hands. “Why do I feel so weak?” Spots invaded her vision, and Ryuko could feel her heart beating erratically in her throat. The girl’s legs began to tremble, the strength seemingly sapped from her limbs as she gasped for breath. The hybrid grit her teeth, cursing violently as she fought to stand and finding the effort wasted as instead the teen slid into a nearby chair. “I hate this.” She hissed, trying with effort to draw in a deep breath. “I _hate_ this!” She choked out. “What the hell is wrong with me?!”

It wasn’t until Mako came looking for her that Ryuko realized she’d been sitting in that chair for longer than necessary. “Ryuko, are you okay?” The teen looked up, blue eyes meeting worried brown. The dark haired girl tried and failed to smile, and Mako moved to sit down next to her. “Was it another weak spell?”

Ryuko grunted, and beside her Mako frowned. “You were gone for a while.” She said. “Satsuki left to talk to one of the nurses. She wanted you to come back and finish all that paperwork, only you didn’t so I thought maybe you overheard her talking and stayed back to try and avoid it.” The girl scrunched her face up. “At least, that’s what I would have tried to do. But then I remembered you being sick and I got worried and…”

The girl trailed off, looking at Ryuko concernedly.

The dark haired teen smiled wanly. “Thanks, Mako.” She mumbled. “I’m okay, I-I’m better now that you’re here.” The girl hesitated for a moment, then looked over to her companion. “Do…you think you can help me to my feet?” The smile that next graced her features trembled as Ryuko fought to hold it. “I…I don’t think my legs have the strength to do it alone.”

Immediately Mako scrambled to her feet, nodding exuberantly. “I gotcha!” The brunette chirped, and as Ryuko offered a hand Mako pulled the girl to her feet, moving a step further when the hybrid teen stumbled and pulling Ryuko’s arm over her shoulders. “There we go, all better! That wasn’t so bad now, was it?”

Despite herself, Ryuko couldn’t hold back a snicker, and for the first time since Satsuki had appeared in the Mankanshoku household the youth felt herself relax a bit. “Yeah, I guess I’m tougher than I thought, huh?” She joked, and once more the girl nodded in agreement. The dark haired lass sighed in relief. Mako was so… _easy_ to be around. There were no jokes or teasing with her, just straight up honesty and warmth, even if it was a little…wild at times. No reason to put up a front, nothing to fight over unless it involved food of some sort, just a simple acceptance that Ryuko had found only in the Mankanshoku family and Senketsu himself. _My own family isn’t even as accepting as Mako and her folks._ Well, maybe that wasn’t entirely true-Satsuki _was_ making an effort to bridge the gap that had initially formed between the duo upon their first meeting, but damn it, it was _hard_ to let some of their past battles go.

As an afterthought, Ryuko had Mako grab the ‘gift basket’ that she’d dropped when the weak spell had hit her. Then, with Ryuko leaning heavily on Mako’s shoulder, the two stumbled down the hallway, Mako occasionally giggling as the duo’s off-kilter balance caused one of the girls to stagger up against a wall. It turned out that a sick Ryuko and Mako in general did not make for good coordination when paired together, leaving the duo thumping and bumping against any obstacle they came across. At one point, Mako accidently fell against a patient’s door, and with Ryuko’s combined weight and momentum, the resulting _slam_ made both girls wince.

Straightening, Mako said, “Well it’s a good thing the patients are all in bed and can’t open the door to yell at us or anything.” Which of course led to the door opening with an indignant Iori sticking his head out to glare at them both.

Mako yelped.

Ryuko smacked her forehead.

“Is there any particular reason you two seem to be meandering around the hallways like a couple of drunk hooligans?” Iori asked in a hot whisper.

“What’s a hooligan?” Was Mako’s reply.

Ryuko sighed. “It’s an old people word.” She muttered, before nodding to Iori. “Sorry…” She muttered, feeling her cheeks flare up with guilt as Iori’s glare seemed to harden. “it was an accident. Didn’t mean to disturb your mom.”

A brief flicker of… _something_ flitted across the blond’s face, and then the glare softened somewhat. Not by much, perhaps by two degrees, but it was something. “You weren’t disturbing her.” He said, then took a quick glance down the hallway. Ryuko followed his gaze, meeting the inquisitive pink stare of Jakuzure from where the hallway opened up into the main lobby. A smile, small and vicious, was slowly creeping up her face. Iori grunted. “Nonon has her Viper Smile going for her.” He said tightly. “Perhaps…you would like to rest here inside where we aren’t disturbed? You seem awfully pale.”

Initially Ryuko stiffened, then relaxed at the escape offer. If it meant not having to feel like shit in The Runt’s presence…“You sure you don’t mind?” She asked, turning to the blond and finding herself suddenly hoping that no, Iori didn’t mind in the slightest.

In response Iori opened the door wider, allowing the duo to slowly make their way inside. Ryuko watched as the predatory smile suddenly dropped from Jakuzure’s face, and subtly dropped a rude gesture before entering the room. Entering the quiet confines of the room, the teen couldn’t help but feel a small bit of guilty pleasure as Iori grabbed her a chair. “Sit.” The teen instructed, and while a part of her wanted to rebel at the simple order, the rest of her body was all too willing to cooperate. The girl sank into the seat with a relieved sigh, ignoring the uncomfortable hardness of the cushion and back. Iori brought the only other chair in the room, this one pulled up next to the sleeping patient, and offered it to Mako, who traded it with him for the basket of goodies the nurse had assigned to Ryuko.

“Special delivery.” Ryuko muttered. “Apparently from all the nurses or something. Supposed to be for you and your family or something.”

Iori grunted and placed it on top of a small table that lined one corner of the room. “Another one.” He said tightly. “Feel free to rummage through it if you wish. There’s nothing in there I want or need. You’d be doing me a favor taking it off my hands.”

The offer made, Mako wasted no time hopping up to better examine the contents of the basket, eagerly pulling the small sheet away and rummaging around, the slight rustle of plastic following in her wake. Ryuko sighed as Mako grew distracted, closing her eyes and massaging her temples as the headache that had blossomed continued to pound away at her skull. At least it wasn’t absurdly bright here-the lights had been dimmed a bit when Iori had led them inside, and the most prevalent noise was the sound of a heart monitor and Mako’s distracted mutterings as she grabbed one item over another.

“Here.” Ryuko looked up, finding Iori standing in front of her with a water bottle in hand. The girl took it, finding the water bottle cold to the touch, and forgoing a drink of it instead moved to press it against her head. Iori raised a questioning eyebrow but otherwise did not comment. “I’d offer you something else, however Lady Satsuki is already trying to get you seen. I don’t want to give you anything that might interfere with their diagnosis.”

Ryuko frowned. “What, are you a drug dealer or something?” She muttered, the joke falling flat as in wake of her own inner pains.

Iori frowned, looking uncomfortable. “Unfortunately, there was no school nurse who could aid in injuries produced by Life Fibers.” He said, looking at her with a side long glance. “…or Kamuis. Or-“

“Sewing a moron’s eyes shut?” Ryuko filled in, and Iori flinched before nodding.

The teen sighed. “Among my skills as a tailor, I also gained an… _acquired_ knowledge of medicinal aid that comes from patching up others.” The blond shrugged, looking away and towards his mother, who lay motionless in the hospital bed. “I am no doctor-not even a nurse-but after the hell Lady Satsuki and the Elite Four have gone through, even some of the lowly Two Stars, I’ve learned a thing or two about medicine.”

Ryuko followed his gaze, for the first time actually getting a look at the bedridden woman. “You look a lot like her.” The girl said awkwardly.

“It’s the hair.” Iori replied. “For whatever reason I was cursed with her hair.” The boy folded his arms across his chest, now turning to fully regard the woman. “Sometimes I wonder if it’s the only thing I inherited from her.”

“Cursed?”

Iori smiled thinly. “More often than not, I’ve been mistaken for a girl upon being introduced to someone, regardless of its length.” The teen ran a hand through his hair in a practiced motion that spoke of annoyance. “Now pair that up while growing up with someone like Nonon Jakuzure constantly at your side.”

The girl did…and promptly winced. “I’d have beat the shit out of her.” The girl confessed. “I’ve still got a bone to pick with Pinky as it is, so-“

Iori shook his head. “Tell me, do I look like the type that could metaphorically ‘beat the shit’ out of anything?” He asked, and despite herself Ryuko slowly shook her head. He _was_ a little on the scrawny side-like one of those kids a bully would victimize for food or something. “There is a reason I am not part of the Elite Four. I am far from the combative level of anyone else who would don a Goku Uniform.”

Ryuko said nothing. _That may be true, but you alone made four people into supersoldiers with those improved Uniforms._ She thought, recalling the various versions of the Elite Four’s Goku Uniforms. _You managed to bring that damn Kamui of Satsuki’s to heel after Mako freed me from it, and you built those machines to rescue people from COVERS with Nudist Beach._ Yes, Shiro Iori may not have been a physical fighter, but he was far from weak.

“Would you like to meet her?”

Ryuko blinked, coming out of her inner thoughts. “What?”

“My mother.” Iori replied, looking vaguely uncomfortable. “Would you like to meet her? I—she’d want to meet the person who defeated Ragyo. And Nui.” He paused a moment, lips pursed in thought. “ _Especially_ Nui. I-Mother couldn’t _stand_ that girl.” There was an unspoken _I couldn’t stand that girl_ as well, though Ryuko decided not to call him on it. That look in his eye at the mention of Nui…she’d seen it in her own reflection upon discovery of just _who_ it was who’d actually killed her father; that same black, icy, all-consuming rage she’d seen on Satsuki’s face when they’d faced their mother together.

That black rage which was little more than a cover for the pure, unadulterated hatred that dwelled beneath.

 _Looks like Nui enjoyed making ‘friends’ of all sorts of people._ Ryuko thought, hesitantly rising and approaching the bed, staring down at the woman who rested within its folds. She was relatively tall, Ryuko would have to give her that; not as tall as someone like Ira, who’s sheer intimidating aura always made him appear larger than any man had a right to be, but she was certainly taller than any of the adults the girl knew. Like Iori, her hair was long and thick, falling in a wave of blond curls on either side of her forehead. Her face was vaguely Western, and…Ryuko frowned. Her forehead…and her face in general had what appeared to be some sort of scarring on it. The scars were a light pink, almost invisible in the rooms lighting, and the hybrid-teen had to squint in order to make out the marks.

“Mother, this is Matoi, Ryuko.” Iori began, and Ryuko held her peace, bowing awkwardly and feeling only a _little_ ridiculous that she was bowing in front of a coma-induced woman. It’s not like the Iori matriarch could _see_ her or anything. “She’s…” the boy glanced at her, and feeling even more awkward, Ryuko picked up on his introduction.

“I’m Satsuki’s little sister.” She said, stopping herself before she ran a hand through her hair. “Ah…the one Ragyo-Mom, I guess, tried to…I don’t know, throw away when I was a baby.” The girl paused, looking at Iori uncomfortably. The teen shrugged. _It’s in your court._ He seemed to say. Ryuko wanted to smack him. “Erm, I ended up surviving whatever it was that crazy bitch did-“ Her eyes widened and inwardly she cursed, head snapping towards Iori once more and this time finding him fighting with a smile. “and I ended up being raised by my dad.” She continued. “I…don’t know much about you-about how much you know the deal behind these life fibers and Ragyo’s involvement or anything like that, but from what little I’ve learned from you, it sounded like you didn’t hold much love for my mom-or that crazy Nui bitch.” The last part came out in an angry growl, and once more Ryuko paused.

Iori nodded.

The girl took a deep breath. “Well, they’re dead. Both of them. I-I defeated them myself.” She paused, letting the words hang in the air. _Defeated, not killed._ Ragyo had taken her own life and that of Nui’s with her. Perhaps without realizing it, she’d spared Ryuko the consequences that came with taking a life. Perhaps her one and only selfless gift to her unknown daughter. “Satsuki and the others-um, her friends and some of my friends and this really _bizarre_ group of people who called themselves ‘Nudist Beach’, they all helped in defeating them and all the other life fibers, like COVERS and the Original Life Fiber.”

She paused, looking at Iori. He must have seen something in her eyes, because with a small smile-a very small one-the lad took over. “It’s over, Mother. There are no more Life Fibers, and Ragyo is gone. _Nui_ is gone.” He paused, looking up to Ryuko thoughtfully before continuing. “I-I think we can finally relax now. Satsuki’s taking over her mother’s company and…I don’t think anyone will be trying to kill us- _you_ -anymore.”

Well _that_ was certainly news. Ryuko stared at Iori in surprise. “ _What?_ ”

Iori looked away, turning his attention to Mako, who seemed to be feasting on some sort of rice cake. “Ragyo knew of Mother’s…displeasure in working under her.” He explained. “And Nui…Nui had always had a… _thing_ against us. She’s part of the reason Mother ended up here originally.” The boy muttered under his breath. Ryuko wasn’t sure if she was meant to hear it or not. Those last words had come awfully quiet.

Ryuko frowned. “But then why go to a hospital that’s pretty much owned by Ragyo? Isn’t that just asking for trouble?”

The teen sighed, his face tired and worn. “Despite the fact that Mother opposed Ragyo’s…work, she never _openly_ opposed it. On top of that, before Nui took over the title, Mother was Ragyo’s Grand Couturier, and was considered by outside sources as ‘close’ to Ragyo. It would appear suspicious if she was treated at a hospital that _wasn’t_ sponsored by the Kiryuin Group.” The teen sighed. “On top of that, my uncle, my father’s brother, was her head butler at the time.” He looked at Ryuko, a serious expression on his face. “Would you attempt anything knowing who was serving you food and drink?”

Dark brows furrowed together. “But then why not fire your uncle?” She asked. “Or just find…” She hesitated, disliking the taste of the words in her mouth, “why not just find some way to ‘get rid of him?’”

Iori shook his head. “I’ve often wondered the same.” He admitted. “The most I could reason was that Ragyo enjoyed a challenge. ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer’. I believe is how the saying goes.” The blond scowled. “On top of that, after Mother fell comatose, well, Ragyo had an excuse to remove Uncle from his position as head butler. My own father had died some time ago, and with Mother in her current state Uncle suddenly had a dependent. And so she decided to knock out two birds with one stone. Uncle was removed from his position and placed as the main caretaker for Lady Satsuki instead under the excuse that Uncle would need more time to look out for his nephew. Not only did this put distance between them both, but it…”

The teen hesitated, drumming his fingers against his folded arm thoughtfully. “I believe Ragyo had always consider Lady Satsuki as expendable,” he admitted, “and so what better way to learn of any deceit from my family than to monitor the health of her own daughter placed under her ‘enemy’s’ care?”

Ryuko drew in a quick breath. “Son of a bitch.” She swore. “Wait, you guys never-“

She was met with an angry glare. “Of course we didn’t!” Iori snapped. “Uncle would never- _I_ would never-“ The boy grit his teeth, a smoldering anger dancing across his face as the blond took a deep breath. When next he spoke, his voice was tight and controlled. “Uncle loves Satsuki as though she were his own flesh and blood. He _raised_ her Matoi. Despite any suspicions, any theories Ragyo had about my family, we _never_ stood against her.” He said quietly. “Not until the very end, where we, along with the Elite Four and every President of every Club in school, decided to place our lives on the line to take her out.”

Ryuko looked away with a grimace, realizing she’d overstepped her bounds. “Sorry Iori.” She muttered. “It’s just-all this stuff is new to me, right? I’m-I’m still trying to wrap my head around just what kind of person my mom was before she died.” She shrugged helplessly. “I ain’t use to this stuff; all this political and social bull that Satsuki’s been trying to explain to me. Half the stuff don’t make any sense and the other half is just stupid.”

The teen nodded with a sigh. “I apologize as well.” He said after a moment. “I-My family has been under such suspicions for as long as I can remember.” He said. “The rumors I would hear behind my back were never pretty, and such accusations are a sore spot for my uncle and I.”

“Right, I think I get where you’re coming from.” Ryuko said, recalling her earlier years of Middle School, of the many fights she’d gotten into defending her honor, her _father’s_ honor, absent parent he was, and the heavy rumors that were always whispered behind her back.

It wasn’t the same. In _no_ way was it the same, but the irritation, the anger that came from those false words, could be likened to each other.

“Hey guys, you should really try some of these cookies!” Mako chirped, easing the atmosphere as the two teens looked towards the brunette. “They’re _amazing!_ ” The girl bounced over to the duo, offering them each a cookie shaped like a cartoonish rabbit.

Ryuko took it with a large amount of hesitation, feeling her stomach churn uncomfortably at the sight of the sugary treat. “Uh, Mako-“

“Nope!” The girl cried, thrusting the other cookie hard enough into Iori’s hand to make the cookie break in half. Crumbs spilled on the white blanket that covered Iori’s mother, and the boy cringed. “Nu-uh.” Mako continued. “You guys are making everything too serious! Everything is supposed to be getting better and you two are making everything all sad and angry!” The girl pouted. “ _Plus_ you haven’t eaten anything solid for a long while, and it’s only a little cookie! Eat it! You’re probably feeling all weak because you don’t have any energy!” The girl turned her attention to Iori before Ryuko could offer a protest. “And _you!_ ” She cried. “You need to stop dwelling on the past and start focusing on the present! Ragyo is gone and your Lady Satsuki is fixing everything, so there’s no reason to be so gloomy! Wouldn’t your mom want you to be happy and enjoy yourself rather than being cooped up in here all the time? Now stop sulking and eat your cookie!”

Iori stared at Mako with wide golden eyes, the two halves of the broken cookie clutched loosely in his hand. The boy warily looked over at Ryuko with a raised eyebrow, _is she serious_? Ryuko slowly nodded in reply. _She’s serious,_ and hesitantly Iori took a bite out of one of the broken rabbit’s ears. When Mako turned her pout to Ryuko, the teen responded with lightly nibbling away at her rabbit’s chin, not really tasting what she was eating. Both teens shared a look, then stared at Mako, looking very much like a pair of children who’d been ordered to eat their vegetables rather than a pair of teenagers being forced to eat undesirable cookies.

Mako nodded in approval. “There now, isn’t that better?”

It wasn’t. Not by a long shot. Ryuko’s stomach was doing somersaults and the cookie tasted more like salty, hard bread in the wake of her oncoming nausea.

Iori just looked dumbfounded.

Seeing the cookies slowly being consumed, Mako twirled on her feet, moving back towards the basket, only to fall flat on her face as she tripped over her own two feet.

 _Should have seen that coming_. Ryuko thought, taking the opportunity to toss the nibbled cookie into a nearby trashcan.

Grunting, Mako pushed herself up to her elbows, and with a sigh Ryuko made her way around the bed and to the girl’s side. “You alright, Mako?”

The girl had a large red spot from where her face had slammed into the floor, and a small trickle of blood was coming from one nostril. _Hopefully it’s not broken-last thing any of us need is Mako needing treatment as well as myself. Mr. Mankanshoku would demand a pint of my blood in payment for the amount of money_ that _would steal from him._

Mako didn’t respond, not even noticing the small stream that was slowly traveling down across her lips and down to her chin, dripping onto the floor in tiny droplets. “Mankanshoku?” Iori tried, a note of his own concern on his face as the teen kneeled beside her, offering her a handkerchief from his pocket. “You’re bleeding, Mankanshoku.”

Again the girl ignored them. It appeared as though something had caught her attention, for the girl’s eyes seemed centered on something near the many wires that connected the heart monitor to one of the room’s power outlets. The girl frowned, brown eyes narrowing thoughtfully, and slowly Mako pushed herself to her hands and knees. “What is it Mako?” Ryuko asked, watching as the girl crawled over towards the many wires, earning a warning grunt from Iori.

“Matoi, what is she doing?” Iori sounded nervous now, and Ryuko couldn’t really blame him for it. Mako was picking her way around a bunch of wires connected to multiple pieces of medical equipment, none of which Ryuko knew anything about. If Mako was to place her hand on the wrong cord, if her foot got tangled somewhere in the mess…

Yet despite her initial bought of clumsiness, Mako did not pull any cords from the wall. “Guys? I thought I saw something that I was really hoping I didn’t see, but now I’m seeing it up close and-I think you might want to see it too.” The girl didn’t look up at them, instead keeping her focus on whatever it was that had caught her eye.

Ryuko and Iori shared an uneasy look. Mako’s words weren’t very comforting. “Don’t touch anything.” Iori ordered, kneeling down and carefully crawling over to where Mako was, Ryuko following a moment behind at a slower pace.

Mako pointed when the two teens drew near. “There. Right there. Do you see it?”

“You aren’t touching ‘it’, are you?” Iori asked.

“No. But do you _see_ it? I only caught it ‘cause I caught some light reflecting off it for a moment. It’s really hard to see if you don’t know what you’re looking for.”

Ryuko squinted but could see nothing. Next to her Iori leaned forward, his own eyes searching behind his glasses. “What are we looking for, Mankanshoku?”

And then Ryuko saw it, and any headache pains or stomach nausea left her mind. Instead came a large, uneasy lump in her stomach as Mako pointed again. “What the hell?”

The girl’s mouth dropped in shock, and beside her Iori suddenly stiffened as he, too, saw what the girls’ saw. “Impossible.” He whispered. “They-we destroyed their source of power though! The original Life Fiber has been gone for six months!”

Ryuko blinked, and then blinked again.

The lone Life Fiber, dark and obscured in the room’s poor lighting, did not vanish as she so hoped.


	3. Wide Awake

_October 14, 1990_

_Dear Diary,_

_I don't know how to start this off. The doctor said that keeping a log of my daily activities might help me remember something from my past. From before that…accident. I'm not sure, but at this point I'm willing to try anything, so here goes._

_My name is Marla. At least, I think that's what my name is. It 'sounds' like my name, but doesn't quite feel 'right'. It's close enough though. At least for me. At least until I can find out what my name really is. Up until now the doctors around me ended up assigning me a name: Yamada Hanako, which always left a bad taste in my mouth and made me wince whenever it was used on me. I guess now my name is Yamada Marla. It's still not 'right', but if feels a little better than 'Hanako'._

_What kind of a name is 'Hanako' anyways?_

_Enough about that though. Iori came to visit me today. He's the guy who ended up finding me and taking me to this hospital in the first place. He awkward and nervous whenever he drops by, but I think it's kind of cute since he's always bringing me things too. I've told him before he doesn't need to go out of his way for me; the man's already trying to pay out of pocket for my medical bill, and on top of that the gifts he brings with them don't really hold any appeal to me. I've found since waking up that I don't really have a sweet tooth, and the flowers he brings me are usually overwhelmingly strong, like someone drenched them in perfume before he decided to give them to me._

_They aren't of course—Iori ended up doing his little nervous laugh thing when I asked him why he sprayed the flowers with perfume before stuttering out something about just getting them from a flower shop, but he was kind enough to open the windows to let it air out, so at least there's that. It'd be nice if he got me something I could actually use, like a book or a magazine, something I could 'learn' from to help replace the knowledge I lost, but I'm not sure how he'd react to such a request, and it feels wrong to ask._

_Anyways, I can't wait for him to stop by today. He's been trying to get a better job at the company his brother works for, I think it's called REVOCS, to bring in more money for the medical bills. He's got a job interview with one of their managers today, some higher-up named 'Hoomaru' or something. I hope it goes well, and if it doesn't, I don't want him to think it was all for naught—I want to show him that him and the doctors here like Dr. Watanabe have really been helping me, so I'm going to tell him what I think my real name might be._

_It'd be nice hearing him refer to me as Marla. It may not be the 'right' name, but…maybe with him saying it, it'll be 'right' enough._

_Maybe I'll be able to remember more if he uses that name over Hanako._

_Wish me luck—no, wish us both luck,_

— _Yamada Marla_

* * *

"How is this here?" Shiro couldn't believe his eyes. Didn't _want_ to believe his eyes. " _Why_ is this here?" In his mother's room, where _no_ Life Fiber should be? The youth grit his teeth, feeling his heart ram excitedly against his rib cage. _Calm down. Calm down before you hurt yourself._ He told himself, taking in a deep, trembling breath and releasing it slowly.

Yet how could he stay calm when there was a blasted _Life Fiber_ in his mother's hospital room?

In front of him, Mankanshoku tipped her head to one side. "Maybe this one didn't get the memo?" She wondered aloud, and Shiro shook his head. That wasn't how Life Fibers worked. They needed an outside source in order to survive without the OLF, and— _no, no way in hell. It's got to be feeding off something else. It_ has _to._

"Mankanshoku, Matoi, move back. I need to trace where this originates."

"Can't we just cut it?" Matoi asked, and Shiro looked behind him. The teen stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "I've got the Rending Scissors on me. It'd only take a quick snip to end it."

Shiro pursed his lips in thought, looking back to the Life Fiber. If the teen really _did_ have the Scissors on her…and found himself shaking his head. "No, I need to make sure it's just this one thread before trying to take it out." He said. "We don't know why it's here or what it's connected to. For all we know, it could be a tripwire."

"What's a tripwire?" Mankanshoku asked in front of him, her head tilted to one side quizzically.

Shiro frowned. _A bait thread that would set off something far worse than one simple Life Fiber._ "Dangerous." He said. "Until I can say with absolute certainty that it's only this thread, I don't want to touch it—which means I don't want either of _you_ touching it either." This was bad. This was very bad. _No it's not._ He told himself. _We found it before it could cause any harm. That means we can evacuate the room if it really is a tripwire. Mother is still safe, and so are Matoi and Mankanshoku for now. Satsuki and Nonon aren't even in the room right now. You can still make this work somehow._

"Please move back." Shiro requested, finding Mankanshoku had long started her retreat before the blond had said anything. Matoi on the other hand… "Please?" The youth repeated. "You're sick, Matoi. Until there's an absolute reason you shouldn't be trying anything right now. This is a simple surveillance of a single strand. Right now there's no danger."

The rebellious girl frowned, and after a moment of holding her gaze the teen sighed. "Fine." She grumbled. "But I still think we should just cut it and be done with it."

Shiro couldn't agree more. _But your experience with Life Fibers is limited in comparison to Lady Satsuki and myself._ He thought. _You don't know how clever these things can be. Or how sinister._ The scars on his arms throbbed in reminiscence. _Those_ wounds had been minor in comparison to what the OLF could have done to him and the Sewing Club Members. If not for the fact that the giant mass hadn't found them a threat, no one, his uncle included, would have left that place alive.

And that wasn't bringing into consideration the Life Fibers separate from the main body. Those ones, such as the Life Fibers the Sewing Club used for the Goku Uniforms, were even more dangerous than the OLF. Because theirs had been a small nest, and with that small nest came a hive minded organization of Life Fibers that labeled any of the humans that approached them as a 'threat'.

The casualties that had resulted from any _one_ of those damnable Fibers…

 _Focus_. A voice reminded him. _Now's not the time for that. You have lives at stake here. Find the danger and eliminate it. You'll have plenty of time to dwell on the past later._ Taking the words to heart, Shiro lightly traced one end of the red thread, carefully following it up into the many cords and watching with growing unease as it braided itself with the various medical equipment wires. If Mankanshoku had tripped, of accidently yanked on _any_ of the cords, she could have triggered the tripwire. _Thank the heavens for small blessings._

Carefully, the young man rose, maneuvering around the heart monitor and tracing the thin thread to the wall. From there, the strand went straight up and into the ceiling, disappearing above the tile that worked as a false ceiling. Cursing inwardly, the blond grabbed one of the chairs he'd offered to the girls, carefully placing it against the wall. "Matoi, Mankanshoku?" The lad looked over his shoulder, finding both girls eyeing him with interest. Matoi looked tense. "I followed one end of the thread up and into the ceiling. I'm going to see if I can't find the source. Can you two find the other end of the Life Fiber and where it might connect?"

Some of the tension drained from Matoi's face. "Yeah, sure." She said, biting her lip and looking like she had more to say.

Shiro frowned. "What is it?"

Satsuki's younger sister looked uncomfortable. "Well…these life fibers, they prey on people, right?" At Shiro's nod, the girl continued. "What if we find it connected to your mom?"

The blond paused. The thought _had_ occurred to him briefly, right before he'd beaten it into oblivion, but now… "Let me know." He decided. "Let me know _where_." If it was connected to Mother's neck, or to her head or spine, then they could be in serious trouble. That could mean that the Life Fiber had already threaded itself into the woman's nervous system, and if that were the case… "But don't _touch_ it."

Matoi threw her hands up in annoyance. "Okay, okay," she growled, "we heard you the first dozen times, we ain't touching nothing, alright?" A tinge of worry dawned in her eyes, and Matoi's next words surprised him, "You take your own advice, alright? _I'm_ the one who fights these Life Fiber things, not you."

Startled, the blond nodded before climbing on the chair. Carefully, he lifted up the ceiling tile and moved it to one side, knocking loose plaster onto his face and into his hair. The resulting hole was a black and ominous pit, and swallowing his nerves the teen stuck his head inside.

The light from the room below provided only about an inch of visibility, yet with it he could trace the direction the red Life Fiber was heading. Reaching into his pocket, Shiro withdrew his cellphone, and quickly activated its light. Shining it into the resulting darkness revealed little other than cobwebs, wires, and steel supporting frames, yet he could also just make out the path of the thread trailing along the wall.

Inwardly the teen cursed and bowed his head out of the fall ceiling. _This must be one of the stupider things I've ever considered in my short life._ He lamented silently. "The thread continues in the false ceiling. I need a boost up to follow it."

Matoi popped her head up from where she and Mankanshoku were doing their own investigation. "You want a _what_?" She demanded.

"A boost." Shiro said uncomfortably. :"I need to find out where it goes."

"In the false ceiling."

"Yes."

"That wasn't meant to hold a person's weight."

"Yes." Shiro paused, then added, "I'm light. It should hold." Should. Might…Hopefully…

Matoi stared at him as though he'd grown another head. "The Runt is light." She corrected. "And she's tough." The girl pursed her lips. "Tougher than you, I'd bet. She could—" The girl trailed off as Mankanshoku stood up, making her way to Shiro. "Mako, what are you doing?"

The girl smiled, looking over her shoulder at the darker haired teen. "I'm giving Iori a boost, of course!" She chirped. "You're sick, so you shouldn't try and help him, but I bet I can lift him up there!"

"Mako, wait-"

The girl ignored her friend, grabbing the other chair and placing it next to Shiro's. From there, the girls stepped onto it, leveraging her feet on both chairs and forcing Shiro up against the wall. Kneeling a little, the girl folded her hands together, looking at him expectantly. "Ready?"

Shiro looked over to Matoi, who looked like she wanted to say something before finally shaking her head. "Just hurry up and get it over with." She said. "I'm gonna laugh if you fall through the ceiling."

The teen nodded. Him falling through the ceiling would be the least of their worries right now. "So long as this Fiber isn't a threat, I'll sit there in plaster and laugh right alongside you." He said, and watched a flicker of discomfort slide across Matoi's face. The teen didn't wait any longer to see if the girl would say anything else.

Slipping his foot into Mankanshoku's entwined hands, the teen pushed off into the ceiling.

And promptly slammed his head in the _real_ ceiling.

Shiro yelped, then cursed. Beneath him came a 'sorry!' followed by a lighter shove that allowed him to crawl onto the false bottom. The gap was low, forcing the teen to crawl on little more than his elbows in order to keep his head from bumping into anything else, held up by the metal grid that supported the many tiles. The steel groaned under his weight, and sweating Shiro spread his body out, trying to displace as much of his weight as possible. The ceiling held. For the moment.

Looking over his shoulder, the teen called out, "Mankanshoku, go and find Gamagori," Ira was more likely to listen to the Underachiever than Nonon, "Tell him about the Life Fiber in here. Lady Satsuki needs to be alerted and the hospital needs to be ready to evacuate the patients if necessary." Evacuating a hospital. That wasn't something he wanted to think about. Especially one as large as Honno Medical Hospital. _Ragyo and her damnable Life Fibers had to get one last 'fuck you' in before finally dying._

Beneath him, Shiro heard a muffled voice shout something that he hoped was Mankanshoku's agreement. Taking a deep breath-the air felt thick and heavy and dank up here-the blond began to crawl, keeping his cellphone in front of him to highlight the Life Fiber's red glow. The teen's progress was deliberately slow, trying to protect himself as much as possible while in the false ceiling. The youth fell into a sort of pattern in his progress: knees resting on the crossbeams where the metal was strongest, hands placed in the very center of whatever tile they rested on, and pushing himself forward with his feet against the metal railings. Stop. Wait. Listen for any signs of weakness. Rearrange and repeat.

 _Just keep following the red string of fate, Shiro._ He thought to himself, the Life Fiber stretching long and far into the darkness before him with no signs of ending. Occasionally he felt something brush his hair, something dance across his hands, and with a grimace the teen did his best to ignore it. _Spiderwebs and their creators._ He reminded himself. _Not life fibers. There's only this one strand._

Only he couldn't be sure of it. The false ceiling's weak structure, the moans and groans and the darkness that seemed to press in on him from all sides...it was starting to play with his mind. More than once he thought he heard something scurrying across the tile ahead of him. _Rats possibly, or mice._ Another unpleasant thought, especially in a hospital, but one he'd prefer over whatever his imagination wanted to re-imagine them as.

Except it was more than rats he was hearing up here. At one of his stops, he thought he heard a hiss _"Ssssskiiiiiiinnnnn_ " it almost seemed to say. " _Ssssstomach."_. This one loud enough that he needed to sweep the entire area around him to ensure it was only his imagination. And yet he'd seen… _something_. A silhouette, a blurry outline, a _thing_ that darted just out of his phone light's range. " _Musssscle…"_

Shiro had stayed right where he was for five minutes after that, panting heavy, murky air that tasted rank and moldy and warring with the desire to turn tail and run back to his mother's room, to Matoi and Mankanshoku and Nonon and Satsuki, and have someone else take up his self-assigned mission. _Only then I'd be placing other people in danger. People I care about, and with no information other than ghosts and shades that might have come from my imagination._

No. People were depending on him. He couldn't turn craven now.

The teen pushed onwards.

The air seemed to thicken as he followed the Life Fiber's trail, and at one point Shiro stopped flat out, recognizing one of the scents that permeated the air. "Shit." The teen hissed, haphazardly reaching for a pocket and withdrawing the orange breathing mask he kept on him out of habit. "There _are_ more. There must be a nest nearby if their miasma is up here too." Spreading himself out as much on the metal support grid as possible, the blond drew the rubber mask on, brushing his hair out of the way and tightening the mask as much as possible. Covering the filters with both hands, the teen breathed, in, satisfied when no air came and the mask tightened further on his face.

"Good. No gaps for the miasma. I'm safe for now." _This_ had been one of the main reason's he'd wanted to go up himself. There was _never_ 'one Life Fiber' surviving on its own. It was always connected to a nest, or a host, which usually meant the environment where the nest could survive was reconstructed to suit its own purpose. _Where there's a nest, there's a Banshi._ Shiro thought to himself. _If we can find the Banshi and cut it, then everything else will take care of itself._

Banshi, as Shiro knew, were not just limited to Goku Uniforms or their higher ranked Kamui. Each independent nest had at least one Banshi, the larger ones holding multiple ones that primarily comprised the Hive Mind of all the Life Fibers in that specific nest.

Of course, it also meant that him continuing towards the nest was going to place Shiro in no small amount of danger. _If the Hive Mind feels I'm a threat, it won't hesitate to take me out._ He thought warily, grabbing his phone from where he'd set it down and continuing forward once more. _Hopefully it's not a small nest but…_ How long had these Fibers been here? How had they set up a nest with no one noticing until now? And of course there was also the small matter on why this lone strand, this single Life Fiber that was leading him straight to the nest, was in his mother's room.

 _If it was feeding off her there'd be others. I'd have come across at least another strand that led to someone else's room._ The air was beginning to thicken with the miasma now, a light fog that glowed pink wherever his light shown. _And with the miasma growing visible now, I should have come across a network of the other threads as well, all of which should have led to other victims._

And yet nothing. Nothing other than his one lone strand, pressed hard against the wall like it was trying to grow invisible. No, this wasn't typical of a Life Fiber nest. There was something _wrong_ about the whole thing, and with it Shiro could feel more and more apprehension growing as he pushed himself further into the mist.

Something crinkled loudly under his elbow, giving the teen pause. Looking down, the blond raised his arm, grabbing whatever it was he'd touched. It was a strip of paper of some sort, and with a deep frown the boy carefully brought it into the light. "What the…?"

It looked like…a talisman of some sort. A six pointed star was drawn on one end of the long strip, and on four corners of it Shiro could make out some sort of occult markings whose meanings eluded him. Beneath the star and its markings, two long smudges trailed down to the long paper's end before fading into nonexistence. The blond examined it carefully. The paper had fresh creases in it-most likely because of him-yet it wasn't until her turned it over that he began to worry.

There was something on the back.

It wasn't an occult drawing.

"Blood?" His voice came out a whisper, and for the first time since donning his mask the teen found it hard to breath. It was a smear of blood, light and red and dry, with flakes of red scattering into the air from where he'd initially clutched it.

" _Flessssshhhhhh…."_ The hiss came again, this time almost as though it came right in front of him. Shiro jerked back, heard something moan and something else snap, and froze, trailing his makeshift flashlight in front of him.

Nothing.

Immediately the teen dropped the talisman, bringing his hand away from the crude paper as though it was a viper and staring at his hand. Flecks of red clung weakly to his skin, and in panic and disgust he wiped it on his pants legs, his mind racing with one thought: _whose blood is it? Whose blood is it?!_

 _NeeeeEEEEeeed…boOOodyyyy"_ That same voiceless whisper again, this time coming out in a low, desperate whimper like that of a starved dog begging for food; one that had _substance_ to it, a near physical, undeniable _weight_ that only something _alive_ could achieve. It whined as if it was right before him, and the teen felt a mighty shudder work its way up his spine. Because now Shiro was certain it wasn't his imagination. Something was here, in the miasma with him, and it wasn't just a Life Fiber. He could feel it: a hot _breath_ of something that steamed the air and caused the miasma to swirl and dance before his phone, creating illusions that might have been a creature, might have been the miasma, and nothing he wanted to see.

He wanted to go back. Life Fibers Shiro could stand. Life Fibers Shiro knew. He'd spent more than ten years learning everything he could about Life Fibers to better aid Satsuki and the Elite Four when the time came to rebel against Ragyo, and he'd used that knowledge well in the fight for humanity's survival. Life Fibers were evil, yet they were also a _familiar_ evil, one which he could predict and judge and react to.

Not…this.

Not a paper talisman stained with someone, some _thing's_ blood.

Not voices that shouldn't be there, genderless and hissing almost as though speaking within his _mind_.

Something brushed his forehead.

Immediately Shiro jerked back, flinching away from the… _presence_ that was with him. Again something cracked beneath him, and this time the blond felt something loosen from his body. The teen gasped, and from under his left foot a light surged forth from where the tile had fallen from the false bottom. His heart was pounding irregularly in his ears, and the boy could see spots forming in front of him. " _Breathe."_ He wheezed. "You're…you're fine….Nothing is here, _nothing_ …your fine."

The youth sucked in one deep breath after another, and slowly the spots began to fade. Shiro closed his eyes, listening to the beat of his heart as well as the environment around him and hearing nothing else.

All was silent.

Shiro didn't know how long he laid there, up in the false ceiling with one foot dangling out, but he did know that during that time, no more voices arose around him. Perhaps the fluorescent lights that reflected up into the darkness cleared his mind. Perhaps it had scared away something else. Whatever it was, he was alone once more sans the Life Fiber, and with a questionable strength that left the blond shaking and uneasy, the lad once more moved on.

When asked to recall what came next, Shiro would find nothing but a blank spot in his memory from where his brain was unable to process what was happening.

The miasma didn't clear. On the contrary, it only grew thicker, and with it Shiro was forced to move closer to the lone Life Fiber, refusing to let its path vanish from sight. It continued along the wall for another couple of feet before suddenly turning abruptly to the left, trailing along the metal support skeleton. The teen would have run into it had his progress not been so slow, and so instead the blond made himself as comfortable as he dared and traced it to the tile the red thread disappeared under.

Forgoing that tile lest he accidentally trigger something, the teen removed the tile below it and peered down into a room bathed in a pink mist. A nest- _the_ nest-dangled in the center of the room, which looked like a standard patient's room that had been cleared of all its normal equipment. The nest, a large cocoon comprised of the many Life Fibers that dwelt within looked… _shriveled_ somehow. Almost sickly, in a manner Shiro had never before seen.

The teen squinted through the pink miasma, taking note of some sort of marking on the ground beneath the nest. For a moment the mist parted enough for him to see a chunk of it, and with it came a block of ice that chilled the youth to his core. It looked like a six pointed star, similar to the talisman he'd found with him in the false ceiling. _What is this? What's going on_? Shiro could not find the strength to voice the words aloud, as though speaking would draw the attention of… _something._

 _Like the thing I kept hearing._ He thought to himself. _Like whatever owned that bloody talisman._

And that, of course, was when _something_ moved out of the Life Fiber Nest.

 _Something_ , as it turned out, was no Life Fiber.

Not in the slightest.

* * *

"And he has yet to return?" Gamagori looked up into the dark hole. The man was large enough that he needed to stoop slightly while standing atop the chair to prevent his shoulder from bumping the remaining tile. The Disciplinary Club President could see neither hide nor hair of his younger friend, and with a deep frown the man bowed out of the small hole.

"Nothing." Ryuko revealed. "Not so much as a peep, but you could hear him moving out of this room and, I don't know, into the hallway?" The girl shrugged helplessly, "he was following the Life Fiber-you know, the one he _insisted_ we don't touch."

Pressed up against a wall, Jakuzure growled. "There's a reason for that." She said nastily, "you said it yourself that thing is attached to Aun-" The teen stopped herself, " _Mrs._ Iori. You can't blame him for being cautious."

Ryuko scowled at the shorter girl. "It's not like its serious or anything." She said. "It loops around her left wrist a couple of times and that's it. The contact is minimal. It's not like she's being held prisoner by COVERS _._ "

"True, but it is still enough to warrant attention." Gamagori rumbled. "For one already in such a critical condition, a lone Life Fiber could cause irreversible damage if left untreated."

Ryuko drummed her fingers on her arm impatiently. "All the more reason to be rid of it!" She snapped. Her headache had come back in full force by now, and with every word came a burning flash of white that made her want to scream in pain.

"We _can't_!" Jakuzure was close to screaming herself, and the pint-sized Viper left her post in favor of marching up to Ryuko. "If that thing is a tripwire like Shiro's afraid it is, do you know what will happen if you snip it? _Boom_ , that's what. You can kiss this room and half the hospital goodbye with a stupid stunt like that." The girl glared up at her with angry pink eyes. "You want to be the one responsible for that, Bitch?"

Ryuko glowered at her. No. No she _didn't_. The idea didn't appeal to her at all, except Threads had yet to reappear and the Life Fiber was making her nervous.

"We should look for Shiro." Gamagori said, only for Jakuzure to let out a sharp laugh.

"Yeah? And how do you plan on doing that, Frog?" The Runt demanded. "What are you going to do, bash through a bunch of walls yelling 'FROG SMASH' and hope you happen across him?"

Gamagori scowled, and Ryuko ground out, "well I don't see _you_ coming up with any suggestions!"

The Runt narrowed her eyes. "I already gave my suggestion: Get Lady Satsuki. She'd know what to do better than any one of us at the moment."

Ryuko tugged irritably at her hair. "Yes." She hissed, "and Mako's already invading whatever office Satsuki's in explaining the situation to her! But until she gets here, we still have the small matter of your friend's disappearance to deal with!"

Jakuzure huffed irritably. "Why don't you have a little faith? Shiro isn't a _complete_ idiot. Not like that stupid Monkey. Just a moron like Doggie. He knows when he's in over his head and when to retreat."

"Why don't we just throw _your_ scrawny ass up there and have you go look for him?"

"Quiet. Both of you." Gamagori didn't raise his voice, which was surprising in and of itself. Yet the amount of authority in his voice was enough to bewilder both the combative girls into silence. The man was looking at the false ceiling, a look of intense concentration on his face, and sharing an angry glance with each other Ryuko and Jakuzure fell silent, listening for whatever it was that might have caught the large man's interest.

Ryuko strained her ears, yet the most she could make out was the thunder in her skull.

Jakuzure seemed to hear it though. "What is that?" She demanded, only to be shushed once more by Gamagori.

Ryuko narrowed her eyes, just making out a dim _thump thump thump_ that might not have come from her head. The girl looked up, watching as a tile suddenly cracked in a corner of the room, while plaster began raining down atop the unconscious Lady Iori's face. Jakuzure hissed in irritation and quickly moved to cover the woman with the blanket, and suddenly Ryuko could hear more. Panicked gasps, louder thumps, _whimpering_ -

And then a hand appeared from within the hole into the false ceiling. A _grasping_ hand, one that latched onto the metal frame with a white-knuckled grip. " _Matoi!"_ Shiro's voice was a terrified scream, one that made Ryuko jump and made her heart race. "Cut the thread, Matoi! _Cut the thread!"_ And then the hand lost its grip, the body it was connected to _dragged_ backwards away from the opening.

"Shiro!" Gamagori was back on the chairs before Ryuko could so much as blink, one arm reaching into the hole as the large man sought to grab his younger companion.

"Move Bitch!" Jakuzure snarled, jostling Ryuko from her daze as the shorter teen shoved her to one side, literally climbing atop Gamagori and vanishing into the hole after Iori. Ryuko stumbled, yet rather than go after The Runt, instead moved to the Life Thread that had wrapped itself into a bracelet around Lady Iori's left wrist.

"It's got my foot!" Iori's screams sounded far and muffled to Ryuko's ears, and quickly the teen withdrew her Rending Scissors.

"What _is_ it?! " That was Jakuzure, who's screams were loud and panicked, alerting Ryuko to the fact that whatever it was, it was no Life Fiber.

"Shiro, don't let go!" Gamagori now. " _Don't let go Shiro!"_ The man was grunting heavily, and with it Ryuko could hear a scream of pain-Iori? "Cut the Life Fiber, Matoi!" The man roared. " _Cut it now!"_

" _Black Dog!"_ A voice, so high and panicked Ryuko almost didn't recognize it as Iori's, pierced the air. " _The Black Dog is coming! He's heading right for us!"_

"No he's not Iori!" Gamagori roared. "There's no black dog up there! That thing's not a dog!"

Nothing but more strangled screams answered his cries.

 _The Life Fiber. Cut the Life Fiber and help Gamagori._ Ryuko reminded herself, feeling oddly cold in the heat of what was happening around her. A simple _snip_ , and the red thread began to dissipate, leaving the female Iori free of the Fiber's parasitic nature once more.

There came a yelp, and Ryuko looked up just in time to see Gamagori come crashing backwards, the metal grid that had kept the tile up in the room crashing down with him. "Ah, shit!" Ryuko screamed, and without thinking yanked the bed to one side, sending it toppling over on one end before the large beast of a man could collapse on top of either Ryuko or the unconscious patient.

Instead, her body reacting before her mind could think, the sickly teen caught the woman, shielding the tall blond with her own body and the toppled bed as the ceiling came down around them. The lights in the room went out, dust filled the air, and the heart monitor's once steady _beep beep beep_ let out and eerie whine as the machine flat lined.

Ryuko coughed, waving a hand through the air as she tried to adjust. Tile and plaster slipped off her body, and as the girl straightened the teen supported the blond's head, keeping the comatose woman propped up against her. What she saw through the dust made her breath in a lung full of plaster.

It was…Ryuko didn't know _what_ it was, but it was holding Iori up by the leg with…a shudder ran down her spine. It looked like some sort of _intestine_. The teen was squirmed in the creature's grip, one hand dangling listlessly in the air and the other clutching his chest. Though she could hear nothing form the blond, the girl could easily see a pair of bulging amber eyes, wide and unseeing, as his jaw worked to draw breath.

An eye, large and marred with thick, red veins, stared down at the youth from where… _it_ held him. Blood dripped from a cluster of exposed nerves and muscles onto the blond, even more trailing down into a mass of visible organs, everything from the lungs to a stomach and kidneys. They all clustered around the enlarged _thing_ , forming what had to have been the monster's body.

 _SSssssSSSskkinnnn…._ Something whispered in her mind in a manner reminiscent of Senketsu, yet where the Kamui had been a warm and welcome and definitely _male_ presence, this… _thing_ was anything but; cold and instinctual, ruthless and _alien_.

 _If Junketsu had ever had a voice,_ Ryuko thought _, this is what it would have sounded like._

"Ira!" Jakuzure was screaming again, her voice loud and terrified in a manner Ryuko had never seen before. "Ira get off me! We need to get him down, we _need to get him down!"_ The girl was pinned under Gamagori's large frame, the pink-haired youth pounding away at a Gamagori who hadn't been fortunate enough to be semi-shielded by a bed.

The man grunted, struggling to find a way out of the large pile of debris and displaced medical equipment. The eye seemed drawn to his movement, and what Ryuko heard next scared her for reasons she couldn't explain.

 _SssssSSOUL!_ It screeched, the eye focusing with a frightening clarity on the large man. _BIIiigg ssssSSSOULL! WWWAaaAAaNNnNTNNOOWW!_ Like a snake readying to strike, the eye reared back, the monster's grip around Iori's leg loosening and sending the boy crashing to the floor with a limp thud. The teen didn't even grunt, his body bouncing once before coming to rest motionless next to the monster.

 _This is bad._ Ryuko realized, watching as something resembling teeth emerged from within the mass of organs. A mass of points, all lined up nice and orderly in a large circle, with something long and protruding _pushing_ the fangs out. _Need to act now._ Ryuko carefully laid the blond woman in her arms down, crawling through the wreckage to stand tall before the beast. "Hey Ugly!" She screamed, watching as the creature paused in whatever mutation it was going through. "Why don't cha' pick on someone who can fight back?" _Think on how to beat it later. Draw it away from here, give the others time to recover. Get it out of this room._

The eye looked towards her for a moment…and then returned its gaze to Gamagori, apparently uninterested in anything Ryuko had to say. The fangs extended, and Gamagori's eyes widened as it drew near. With a shout, the man pushed himself out from under the debris, grabbing Jakuzure with one hand and tossing her towards the room's entrance. "Go!" He roared, pushing the grate up and sending rubble raining everywhere. "Get out of here, now!" With a roar the man shoved the metal skeleton onto the monster, only to find it stopped as some sort of limb, covered in blood and muscle and tendon, grabbed it in turn.

The eye passed through one of the holes in the grates, pushing up and staring down at the man. Gamagori swore, shoved upwards with all his strength and the released the metal grate and dashed out from under it. The metal came crashing down on the monster's eye stalk, causing the monster to lurch sickeningly in one direction. The beast released a high, keening scream, and then the grate collided with the ground, severing the bloody stalk with an audible _snap_.

The man jumped on the grate and raced towards the beast, ducking under its mass as it writhed in agony. With one arm, Gamagori scooped up the limp Iori, then beat a hasty retreat as Jakuzure bolted out the door. Catching the hint, Ryuko grabbed her own charge, cutting through whatever wires remained attached before carefully maneuvering the woman out from under the debris.

" _Move_ Matoi!" Gamagori roared, face red with strain as he barked at her. The man looked back at the creature, and as he headed for the exit, so too did Ryuko. The creature seemed to be recovering, it's severed eye rolling listlessly on the ground as the mass of organs that was its body moved towards it. Something that looked horribly reminiscent of a bloody spine dropped to the ground around it with an ugly _plop_ , and then began squirming around, slapping against pieces of debris as though searching for something.

Ryuko wasn't sure she wanted to know what would happen if it 'found' its eye.

Quickly the teen ushered past the larger man, exiting into the hallway and finding herself quickly aided by a wild-eyed Jakuzure. "To the lobby, let's go!" The girl directed, slipping an arm under one of the comatose woman's shoulders and easing the weight from Ryuko's shoulder. Behind them a door slammed shut, and Ryuko could hear Gamagori snarling at them from behind.

Jakuzure looked over her shoulder, "Ira!" She cried. "We need to get Shiro to the lobby before he goes into cardiac arrest!" Ryuko almost stumbled at the words. "Does he have an ADRIJET in his pocket?"

"Can't tell," was Gamagori's reply, "Busy running. I'll check when I know we're safe!"

" _Shiro_ won't be safe for long if he isn't treated soon!"

Jakuzure earned only a grunt from the large man in reply, followed a moment later with "It's broken!"

Jakuzure screamed. Jakuzure screamed loud and hard and violently, filling the air above their pants with swears and curses, some of which were so creative Ryuko would have blushed had the situation not been so dire. Others didn't even sound Japanese.

And as though summoned magically by Nonon Jakuzure's long winded, cursed-riddled rant rage, Mako appeared in front of them, dragging a stony-faced Satsuki by the sleeve.

"Fall back!" Gamagori roared, _"FALL BACK!_ "

Without a moment's hesitation, Satsuki did as the large man ordered, spinning around, grabbing Mako by the hand, and dragging _her_ back down the hallway from which they came. "SITREP, now!" The short-haired Kiryuin ordered.

"Monster!" Jakuzure cried. "Not Life Fibers- _monster_. Popped in to Aunty Marla's room, attacked Shiro when he was trying to get out of the false ceiling!" The group entered the lobby, and Satsuki made a beeline for the elevators, punching one of the buttons before looking back over her shoulder at the rest of the group.

"The thing grabbed Shiro and brought the ceiling down on us all." The elevator door 'dinged' open, and Satsuki all but threw Mako inside, keeping one foot on the motion sensing equipment as she ushered the others inside. "Shiro was panicking." Somehow they all managed to squeeze inside the cramped elevator, and with a grunt Satsuki pressed a random floor number. The elevator doors began to close. "His cardiomyopathy kicked in, but the ADRIJET that Shiro keeps on him must have gotten broken in the monster's attack."

"Understood." Satsuki shifted from where she was pressed uncomfortably into one of the elevator corners, all but pinned, much like Ryuko herself, by Gamagori's large mass. "Ira, remove Shiro's mask; it's hindering his breathing and right now he needs all the oxygen he can get." The teen squirmed, a grimace on her face as she pressed into the man's side. "I've a spare ADRIJET in my pocket." The girl grunted, "I…just…need to…" Her hand popped free from where it was pinned between her own body and Gamagori's. "Nonon, can you administrate it under these conditions?"

Next to Ryuko, Jakuzure squirmed restlessly. "Sure, if I can get a boost up. You'll need to take over for Aunty Marla though."

"Done." With no small amount of shifting, cursing, and squirming, Jakuzure somehow managed to climb on top of Mako, using the taller girl as a step latter while Gamagori removed Iori's mask. The teen's face was set in a heavy grimace of pain, his face pale and lightly tinged with an unnerving shade of blue. Satsuki moved in closer to Ryuko, and the female Iori's-Marla, did they say her name was?-head rolled listlessly onto Ryuko's shoulder. Satsuki handed Jakuzure a long, plastic-adorned item of about four inches, and wordlessly the pink-haired girl took it, removing the plastic and revealing what looked like some sort of pen.

The room was tense as the floor numbers slowly scaled up. "What's wrong with Iori?" Ryuko asked, watching as The Runt placed one end of the pen against the unconscious blond's thigh. The girl began muttering a countdown under her breath, and Ryuko thought she heard a soft _chitch_ as something pierced cloth. "Jakuzure said something about 'cardiac arrest'. That's bad, right? Like a heart attack or something, right?"

Pinky snorted in disgust. "Is it a bad thing…" She muttered darkly.

The elevator 'dinged' once more, the doors slowly gliding open. "Do you know what 'cardiomyopathy' is, Ryuko?" The duo exited the metal container with a female Iori's arm each around their shoulders. Behind them Jakuzure hopped off Mako, then hurriedly dragged the younger girl out behind her. Gamagori followed at a slower pace, mindful of his own human cargo. The doors shut behind them.

"Something to do with the heart, right?" Ryuko guessed, dredging up long-forgotten memories of a biology class she'd only half-paid any attention to.

Satsuki hummed in agreement. "It's a type of heart disease." She explained. "Usually its only found in older people, like those in their fifties or sixties who've been drinking heavily. The heart begins to weaken, stiffen, or harden for some reason, making it more difficult to pump blood through the body." Satsuki made a face. "In more extreme cases, it can cause the heart to stop beating, in which case the individual will go into cardiac arrest." The teen grimaced. "On rare occasions it's hereditary, however Iori is a…special case. He was exposed to a Life Fiber Miasma with no protection at a young age, and as a consequence his heart developed abnormally."

The lobby they entered in the upper floor was void of any people, and with relief the small group moved to a couch that had been set up against a wall. With Satsuki's help Ryuko laid out the comatose Iori on the couch, Gamagori laying the younger one down on the ground beside her. The teen's breath was shallow and weak, but he looked a little less pale now. Satsuki looked up, "Ira, Nonon, I need you two to fetch some medical staff, ASAP." She said. "Tell them about the two up here and that they need medical attention, and once your certain someone is coming our way I need you to figure out a way to evacuate the building." The teen paused, looking over at Mako with a deep frown. "Take Mankanshoku with you. If the staff prove…disagreeable, have her explain the situation to them.

Mako had a terrifying way with words, after all, capable of baffling even the most hard-pressed of opposition into submission.

The two Devas nodded in agreement, the Viper looking up to the Toad. "Bomb threat?" She asked.

Gamagori hesitated a moment before nodding. "Bomb threat." He agreed. "I sincerely doubt they'd listen to us if we spoke of the beast we saw. A bomb threat is liable to get more action faster." The man then returned his gaze to Satsuki. "Are you sure you want us all to go?" He asked. "This creature…I do not believe it is like anything we've ever fought before."

"Shiro yelled 'black dog'." Jakuzure said dully. She didn't exactly sound thrilled.

Satsuki frowned deeply, her expression darkening for a moment before once more nodding. "All the more reason to evacuate. We shall be right behind you as soon as someone arrives to care for the Ioris'. Until then, I'm confident Ryuko and myself can handle ourselves against this opponent." The girl paused. "Nonon, Shiro didn't specify where the black dog was going, did he?" Her voice had grown unnaturally soft, and despite herself Ryuko felt the hair rise on the back of her neck in alarm. Something about that tone…something about that 'black dog' they were talking about…

The teen shrugged uncomfortably. "He said it was coming after us." Jakuzure revealed. "He didn't specify if 'us' was everyone in the hospital room or, well, _all_ of us."

Satsuki pursed her lips thoughtfully, and Ryuko took the opportunity to step in. "What's this 'Black Dog' you guys keep talking about?" She demanded. "Some kind of code word for whatever the hell that monster was? Care to let me in on what's going on?"

"It's death." Jakuzure said bluntly, gaining not only a startled look from Ryuko, but from Gamagori as well. Without another word of explanation, the short teen looked back to Satsuki. "Regardless, if we're splitting up all of us are going to need to be on guard. There are plenty of people from both sides that 'black dog' of Shiro's could go after, so we can assume that one of our groups is going to be attacked." The Runt frowned. "I _really_ don't like the idea of us splitting up because of that-not if we're leaving you with half an unconscious team."

Satsuki nodded, "I have Ryuko to back me up." She said, "and now that the ADRIJET has been administered, there's a possibility that Shiro will be on his feet as well by the time the beast comes for us- _if_ it comes for us." The teen paused, looking towards Ryuko, and despite her own misgivings on the whole predicament, the girl found herself nodding in agreement. "Between the two of us, we should be able to at least hold it off, if nothing else. Now go. We've wasted enough time with talk and I suspect the more we dawdle the closer that beast comes to attacking us."

The two Devas still looked uncertain. Neither appeared ready to leave, especially Gamagori in the wake of the 'black dog' revelation. " _Go_." Satsuki ordered, her voice no longer advising and now firm and commanding. Gritting her teeth, Jakuzure turned and headed back to the elevator, but Gamagori hesitated a moment longer. "Lady Satsuki, please be careful." He said. "We are no longer at war. There is no reason any of us should be putting our lives on the lines. Not if there's another way." The man turned his gaze to Ryuko. "You take care as well, Matoi." He said, his words catching Ryuko off guard. "I know you have little regards towards authority, but for the sake of the civilians in this hospital, I request that you listen to Lady Satsuki's orders. Her plans may not be foolproof, however her leadership has kept us alive on numerous occasions in the past."

Ryuko stared for a long moment…and then slowly nodded in understanding. "I got you." She said. "Look after Mako for me while I'm gone. Make sure she doesn't get hurt."

The large man nodded in turn, and just for a moment Ryuko understood why, despite their heavy differences, the Elite Four, the Four Devas of Honnoji Academy, worked so well together. There was a sense of well-oiled comradery there, one that spoke of many a hardship shared, and now she, with her own aid in this horrid event and her alliance with her sister against their mother, was slowly being accepted into the fold. "She'll be well looked after." The man said.

"Let's _go_ Frog!"

The man turned and headed off, dragging a waving Mako by the scruff of her uniform. "Bye Ryuko!" She cried. "Watch out for soul-eating monsters, Lady Satsuki!" A moment later, and they were gone.

 _Soul-eating monsters…_ What had that creature been screaming in her mind? Hadn't it been raving about 'souls' or some similar business? Frowning, Ryuko drew a hand into her pocket, withdrawing the completed Rending Scissors. "Hey Satsuki," she said, staring down at hardened Life Fibers, "you got the Bakuzen-tanto on you, right?"

"No," was Satsuki's response. She sounded angry. "in the wake of our new-found freedom, I neglected to bring it. I foolishly believed that I wouldn't need to bear a weapon in a time of peace." The older teen's voice dropped lowly. "It won't happen again."

Ryuko grunted, disassembling the scissors into the twin scissor blades and enlarging them with her aura. Senketsu had taught her that, with her own scissor blade in what felt like a lifetime ago. "Here." She offered her sister one of the blades, and Satsuki took it without comment. "What was Jakuzure talking about? 'Death'? Is she serious?"

Satsuki moved to the window the couch was pressed up again. "Help me take these curtains down." She instructed, and with a breath of annoyance Ryuko moved to the other end. Together, the sisters moved the pole the curtains were strung across off its support beams. "There were times when we were younger-Jakuzure, Iori, and myself-where Iori would sometimes see a black dog wandering around the mansion." The teen motioned for Ryuko to lower her end, and the curtain rings came rushing to her in a metallic ring. "Mind you, Iori was the only person who ever saw this dog, so I cannot say if it is 'real' or not."

The words, a sort of disclaimer, made Ryuko frown, and as the girl gathered the curtains in a cluster Satsuki set her end down as well, moving to join her sister. "What I can say, however, is that whenever the dog appeared, whoever the dog appeared _around_ , within twelve hours that person would die; or in some rare cases…" the teen looked over to where the two Ioris' were laid out, "just barely survive something they weren't meant to."

Together the teens removed the rings from the pole, then moved over to the couch. With Satsuki's guidance, the duo began to cover the couch, ensuring neither mother or son, who rested parallel to it, were displayed under the dusty, light-blue cloth. The teen swallowed. "The first time he saw it had been with a woman named Haruka," She revealed. "Haruka was Soroi, my butler's, wife. She had terminal lung cancer and was living out the last of her days in a hospital— _this_ hospital."

Satsuki paused there, retrieving her half of the Rending Scissors and clutching the thumbhole tightly. "I remember Iori coming by to visit with his mother, Marla. They'd just returned from the hospital, with Soroi on leave so he could care for his wife and leaving me in the custody of the other butlers who cared for the mansion. Iori…he looked so _confused_ when he came back, and he couldn't stop looking over his shoulder, as though something was following him."

Satsuki paused, taking a long, deep breath, before continuing. "I confronted him on the issue," She said, "and he told me that there'd been a large, black dog in his Aunt's bedroom. It'd been sitting at her side, its head propped on the bed like a pet looking for some last few pets." The teen swallowed, "He said that the atmosphere was so sad and gloomy he didn't have the heart to ask about the dog, and no one seemed to bother it either, so he hadn't brought it up, but…" The teen chewed on her bottom lip, staring at the curtain thoughtfully. "Iori...Shiro said it followed him home. He said it looked at him with these white, blind eyes, and that afterwards, when his family was driving back to the estate, he would see it at random occurrences: at a stop sign, sitting on the sidewalk and staring at him, in another person's car, watching him through the window, in residential yards, watching him through gate bars, and into the Kiryuin estates itself, where he saw it in gaps between the bushes."

Ryuko bit the inside of her cheek, disliking the way the hair on the back of her neck was standing up in alarm. "That's…that's pretty fucking creepy, Satsuki." She said. "And he wasn't making this up? _You're_ not making this up? Because this is a really shitty time for ghost stories."

Satsuki sighed. "I wish I was." She said, "but…Soroi Haruna passed away that very night, and the next day…" She paused there, biting her lip hard enough to be painful. "The next day, Iori claimed he saw it following Father."

Ryuko blinked. "But Mikisugi said Dad faked his own death."

Satsuki nodded, "yes, I remember him speaking to me of that as well," she said, "however don't forget that there were others who were actively attempting to kill him at the time." The older teen paused. "…there's a difference between being prepared for an assassination attempt and actually faking your own death. I believe there was a large amount of luck in Father's survival, and from the pictures you've shown me of him, he did not come away from it unscathed."

Ryuko thought of their father, with his bent back and his ruined eye, and said nothing.

"There were other times too. Other instances where Iori claimed the dog would appear, and where later an accident would occur, or someone would suffer from a deadly ailment. Times like the pool. Times like Nui. Times like the Life Fiber Nest, where he claimed he saw it standing over him, over his mother, before he'd passed out from the miasma…" The teen shook her head, but did not go further in depth. "After so many occasions, it stopped being becoming a coincidence." Satsuki said. "Instead it became just as Jakuzure claimed: Death."

Outside the clouds hid the sun, darkening the room slightly as Satsuki continued her story. Ryuko could stop the hairs on the back of her neck from rising in alarm at the words, and with each revelation spoken the teen's stomach churned with anxiety. "Jakuzure was the one who thought of using it to our advantage." Satsuki continued. "It became a sort of warning for us; wherever the black dog went, danger would always follow, and because of it I believe we were fortunate enough to make it as far as we have now. If the black dog began following a person, we stayed away from them. If the black dog followed one of _us_ , and believe me, it did a time or two, then we would be put on full alert, waiting for whatever attack might befall us." The teen frowned, thick black brows furrowing together angrily. "And oftentimes, we'd find Nui at the end of one of those attacks. Nui with her violent games and volatile temper, waiting for us like a tiger waits for a herd of deer."

"And now this thing has popped up again," Ryuko said slowly, "so you're taking it seriously and preparing for that… _thing's_ attack." The room was getting darker, and the two sisters looked to the window, watching as… _something_ began to slide into view. "Looks like your prediction was spot-on, Sis." The teen waved her older sibling towards her, and Satsuki moved to stand by Ryuko's side, watching with a mixture of interest and disgust as the creature slid further into view, leaving long, red smears in its wake. "Ugly fucker, ain't it?" Despite herself, Ryuko grinned, feeling more like her old self here, in the presence of this monster, than she had in weeks."

"Dispicable." Was Satsuki's reply, that cold iron that Ryuko was so familiar with masking any anxieties the older girl might have felt. "We would do well to end this beast quickly, Ryuko."

The window shattered as something that looked like stringy, boney claws smash into the window. _SsssSSSSoul!_ Glass shards rained down on the hidden Ioris', and together Ryuko and Satsuki brought their weapons up, ready for what was to come. It shrieked, its mass sliding in through the hole it'd created and narrowly missing the couch and its occupents. _NEEEEeeeed SSSSssssSSSoOOOOuul!_ It howled, and something that might have been its head arose from its mass, several paper talismans of some sort scattered across the exposed muscle like an ill-fitted skin. _NnnoOOOWWW!_

The beast rushed them, and likewise the Kiryuin Sisters moved in for their own attacks, war screams parting their throats as blades made to resemble scissors collided with bloody muscle and tissue.

And as a battle like none other began for two sisters, a pair of red eyes opened in waking.

A pair of red, feline eyes that glowed beneath a dusty curtain.

And with it, buried beneath the heat of battle, came an angry growl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments of a Madwoman:
> 
> Some notes on this chapter: The name given to Mara is based off the Japanese Jane Doe. A SITREP is military jargon for 'situation report'. Given the fact that Satsuki and the Elite Four are a sort of semi-militia, as well as the fact that Gamagori's father is in the military, I'm using head-cannon in the fact that most of them would be familiar with certain military jargon. For those wondering about an ADRIJET, it's a term I made up-it's short for 'adrenaline injection', which is what, under certain emergency situations, would be administered to a person suffering from either server allergies or going into cardiac arrest, based off my own research-however, to note, I'm in no way wise in the medical field, so some of my information may be wrong.
> 
> If there's anything readers are confused with, please feel free to let me know and I'll do my best to clear things up.


	4. Hyperfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A demon roams the halls where monsters dare to tread, as children face fearsome beasts.

_March 5, 1990_

_Iori stopped by again today, this time with some world history books in tow. For whatever reason he seemed a little embarrassed about them, muttering something about college textbooks and dull reading. I don't see the problem myself. The books make a good attempt at educating the reader and even provide questions at the end of each section to better instill the knowledge held within. I told him they were a wonderful gift, but he didn't seem to believe me. These books and some of the others he's sent my way have really helped my memory. A great deal of the information presented almost feels like I'm recalling something I've lived through, something I've experienced firsthand and am only now just being reminded of._

_The authors of the books have my thanks. It must take quite a bit of skill to get to write a book so well a person can believe they were actually a part of history._

_Anyways, I've started to take up drawing in my time when I'm alone with no books to read. The nurses won't allow me much else, though I'm allowed to visit the outside recreational area with supervision now. I've taken to drawing some of the scenes from my dreams. Something I've learned since awakening here is that I have some vivid dreams, and I've found I can remember them easier if I draw them out or write out an explanation. Most of them are rather…eerie, I suppose would be a good word for it. I wonder if it's in consequence to the accident that took my memories._

_I'm still debating on whether or not to show them to Iori. I almost showed some of the pictures to the therapist assigned to me; however I got incredibly uncomfortable with the idea of showing someone else the drawings, and in the end I decided to hide them. Some of the items I've drawn are, quite frankly, disturbing, and I don't want to scare him away after all that he's done for me. A part of me wonder's if this isn't my subconscious reaching out to me in an attempt to help me remember something._

_I hope not. Given some of the grisly scenes that remain in my head, if those are supposed to be my memories, I feel I'm better off forgetting them entirely._

_I think I may just stick to drawing birds and people instead. Somehow, it just seems safer._

* * *

_Present_

Satsuki observed the creature in open disgust, her revulsion towards the beast hiding her inner revulsion. What on Earth _was_ this thing? Before her, the monster released a wet, gurgling growl, creeping towards the two sisters without any signs of noticing the unconscious duo at the couch. Its body reflected a red sheen in the florescent lighting of the hospital, and the teen felt her stomach roll as its flesh-if it could be called that-bubbled and blistered with something equally wet and shiny. Teeth and claws, muscle and organs, nothing was left unveiled from the beast's continuous metamorphosis; a nauseating, chaotic mass of constant movement that made her want to retch.

Yet she couldn't. There was no time for that; no time to be _afraid_. The Ioris' were depending on her, fuck the entire _hospital_ was depending on her. On her and her baby sister to delay this-this _thing_ , to kill it and prevent it from doing any further harm. The knowledge made a small piece of her sob; that little girl who'd never quite understood why of all people, it had been _her_ to go through the horrid process of instilling life fibers to an entire prefecture, why _she'd_ been the one to fight off her insane mother, and so much more that her consciousness refused to dwell on. It was what she recognized as that little piece of selfish self-preservation that wanted only to survive and to live life like a normal high school student over the cold and ruthless dictator that had placed her life on the line for Humanity.

_SSSsssSoullLLSSSss!_ That voice…it rose in her mind as a horrid shriek, reminiscent of nails on chalkboard intermingled with the heavy rumblings of an earthquake. It made her want to cover her ears, to run and hide, to scream in utter terror at the sheer _inhumanity_ that dwelt within its voice. _GiiVVEE NOWWW_! The creature curled in on itself, entwining upon the length of its own body over and over again like a nest of serpents in the grass. One section of its body elongated, thinning before suddenly splitting into two separate strands. Fangs, long and pointed and dripping with fluids, decorated the inner folds of the strands, and like a cobra it reared back, readying to strike.

Ryuko, beloved brash girl that she was, charged it first. "Come get some!" She roared, and with energy Satsuki had not witnessed since the final battle with their mother, the teen lashed out, bringing her scissor blade up in an ark. Its bladed edge dug into the creature's exposed muscle, and a wail that was almost human arose from somewhere within its depths. The monster recoiled, a block of meaty muscle lurching forth from unknown recesses and barreling towards the teen at breakneck speed.

Reflex saved Ryuko from being smashed into the ground, dipping out and around the ugly limb at the last minute. An eye appeared at the top of the mass; large and bloodshot and attached by a thin, bloody stalk of nerves and tendons. It glared at the duo in indignant fury, its limb rising and splitting into three long, jagged claws. It swiped at the duo, only for the claws to be met half-way by the two sisters. The siblings caught the claws in the flesh between, blades borne and tearing into the muscle before the protrusions grew too close.

A scream of aggravation arose from the beast, the limb once more retreating and splitting, the wounds inflicted upon it creating new nightmarish tendrils. _It's like a hydra._ Satsuki thought to herself, cutting off two of the tendrils that drew too near and watching with grim disgust as new limbs sprouted. _Cut one limb off and two more take its place. We need to focus our efforts on the head._

Briefly the young warrior retreated, taking a moment to better assess the creature. "Assuming this beast has a head…" She muttered aloud, quickly bringing up her end of the scissor blade to deflect an incoming blow from something resembling a mouth. With a shout she thrust towards it, skewering both halves of the maws and instigating a wild shriek from the beast. _Its neck perhaps?_

"Matoi!" The teen shouted, and hearing her sister's acknowledging shout, the young woman continued. "The neck! Try cutting the beast's neck off!"

"This thing has a neck?"

"If it has a mouth, it has a neck." Satsuki reasoned, watching with a grimace as the beast tried to snap its jaws at her. It failed, and the puncture wounds between its upper and lower jaws grew longer, increasing its cries. A tongue, long and thing and lined with teeth of its own, darted towards her, and Satsuki pulled back, narrowly missing a slash from the odd organ.

A shout signified Ryuko's approach, and the teen caught a glint of steel as Ryuko brought her blade down on its sinuous 'neck'. The blade cut deeply, yet did sever it. Yet it was enough to force the beast to retreat, screaming as it yanked back with enough force that it pulled the scissor blade from Satsuki's hands. The creature thrashed about in pain and rage, its wild limbs smashing the floor, the walls, the ceiling, with enough force as to chip tile and crush plaster.

Lacking a weapon, quickly Satsuki retreated, backing up to what she judged to be a safe distance as her eyes darted around the room, searching for a replacement. The most she saw was the awkwardly large pole that had been used to hold up the curtains and a fire extinguisher resting on a wall near the elevator.

The teen ground her teeth in irritation. The pole had taken the combined efforts of Ryuko and herself to move, and was close enough to the monster that it would have been too dangerous to attempt. Blue eyes darted to the fire extinguisher. "On the other hand…." The girl risked a glance back to her sister, finding Ryuko holding her own against the creature. She was being pushed back; however, and the teen's breaths were labored.

Satsuki frowned and made her decision. "Time to review Chemistry." She muttered to herself, bolting for the fire extinguisher and smashing a fist through the glass. The window shattered with frightening ease, and the girl didn't even feel the shards that lodged into her skin. Time was of the essence, and minor wounds could be treated when the danger had passed. Now was the time for action and without a second thought the young woman grabbed the fire extinguisher and bolted back to the beast.

"Ryuko, fall back!" Satsuki screamed. The teen was quick to obey, retreating to the wall even as her sister hurled the extinguisher towards the beast. The red container rapidly caught the creature's attention, and as its eye swiveled to watch it one of its claw-like tendrils shot out towards it. It skewered the extinguisher with a high shriek, and as she'd hoped the canister exploded with a _BANG_.

The two sisters flinched at the blast, their ears ringing from the proximity of the explosion. Above their singing ears the howl of the monster was still audible, and with a grimace Satsuki looked over to their opponent. The creature was writing in pain, white, chemical foam coating its exposed muscles and organs and causing an unhealthy steam to rise to the ceiling. It maw, still imprisoned and open by one half of the rending scissors, smashed itself into the ceiling, the mouth filled with the white substance it senselessly tried to rid itself of.

The ringing began to fade, and in its place the Kiryuin heir became aware of a strange chortle. _Ka! Ka! Ka!_ It cried, and it took Satsuki a long moment before realizing that the beast wasn't howling at all. No, the creature was desperately trying to clear its throat, and with each lurch pink foam and red spittle emerged from its snout. _It's chocking…_ Satsuki thought. _How is it howling like that if it can't breathe?_

_Because it's not howling_ …A nagging voice teased in the back of her mind. _The howling…it too_ human _to be from that monster…too…_ familiar. The teen's eyes widened as the howling increased, sounding not so much as a beast as a person in pain. Blue eyes darted to the couch, widening as something beneath the blue curtain struggled and squirmed beneath a pile of coolant.

_Iori!_ She'd forgotten about the Ioris'! _Idiot!_ Her mind screamed. _Reckless fool! You forgot to take collateral into account!_ A hand appeared from beneath the curtain, and in its shadows Satsuki spied something that made her blood run cold.

For within the darkness of the tarp, a pair of red eyes glowed menacingly at her.

"Wha-" Her words were cut off as something long and slimy wrapped around her body, and before she could so much as ponder this strange turn of events, the teen was yanked backwards. "Ryuko!" The tendrils were strong enough to lift her off the ground, and as she was pulled backwards she caught sight of her sister racing after her.

Yet her ensnarer was fast, faster than a human or even a hybrid like Ryuko. It dragged her down one hall and through another, quickly pulling her away from her younger sibling's view and leaving nothing but a blur of hallways and doors in its wake. And then she was pulled into a room, a big one that had been emptied of beds and was bright with the setting sun. The scent of fumes filled her nostrils, and as Satsuki was pulled _outside_ , the girl saw the large hole broken into what was once a wall.

With a shout the Kiryuin was yanked upwards, the directional change happening so fast the teen's neck creaked painfully. The wind whistled past her at an alarming rate, making it difficult to draw breath as Satsuki attempted to look skyward. Her heart skipped a beat. _There are mo-_

A pair of jaws opened before her, and before Satsuki could finish her thought, sweet oblivion engulfed her.

* * *

" _SATSUKI!_ " Her current opponent abandoned, Ryuko raced after her older sister. Adrenaline fueled her actions, and any initial fatigue she'd once felt vanished. "Give her back you bastard!" The youth snarled, watching as the large, tentacle-like organ swung her sibling around a corner and vanished from sight. "No you don't you little-"

Something wrapped around her leg, and before she could take another step Ryuko was yanked off her feet. The girl fell to the ground with a yelp, and before she had a chance to recover the youth was dragged back. "Son of a bitch." The teen hissed, looking over her shoulder and catching sight of a similar tentacle wrapped around her leg. Like a fish on a hook, it dragged the young hybrid back towards the lobby, and with a grunt the teen rolled to her back, lifting her half of the Rending Scissor up and bringing it down with a shout.

The blade bounced off the fleshy appendage with no visible damage to the limb, and Ryuko's eyes widened in dawning horror as she tried again. Again, nothing happened, and swearing heartily Ryuko swiftly observed her surroundings, searching for something to grab. Nothing presented itself, and so instead the young warrior decided on a different approach, raising her scissor blade as high as she could before thrusting it into floor.

Despite the tentacle the blade easily dug into the tile, piercing through and digging deeper as she was pulled back. "Come on, come on!" The girl growled, gritting her teeth in frustration when still she did not slow. The weapon lodged itself deeper into the ceramic, the hilt nearing the floor before it finally began to slow near the beginning of the hallway. By the time she'd neared the threshold, the blade had vanished into the ground, and her imprisoned leg throbbed as the stem's grip grew more insistent.

Grinding her teeth, Ryuko looped an arm through the scissor's hole, praying the weapon remained lodged in place. There came a jagged cry from somewhere behind her, and without warning the tendril whipped up towards the ceiling. It dragged her body along with it, and had not she held so tightly to the blade Ryuko was certain she'd have been slammed into the ceiling. What came next was possibly equally as bad; however, as the tentacle reached the apex of its arch and then came crashing down at a phenomenal speed. As before, so too was Ryuko dragged along with it, taking the full blunt of the impact as the teen collided with enough force to crater the surrounding tile.

The girl released a pain shout, the arm looped within her scissor blade twisted and flaring with pain from where it had absorbed the blow against the weapon's ridged surface. Yet the tendril was far from done with her, as without pause it once again rose to the air, dragging her along with it and repeating its initial attack. Starts exploded in Ryuko's vision, and the wind was knocked out of her as her body once more impacted the ground. The girl released a pained moan, her arm slipping from the scissor blade as Ryuko struggled to sit up.

Apparently it was what the beast was waiting for, as with her arm free it once more began pulling her towards it. The tentacle dragged her away from her weapon before Ryuko could return to her senses, and by the time she realized what was happening the hilt was already out of her reach. The limb rose as it neared the rest of its mass leaving Ryuko dangling by the foot upside down. There came a sickening ripping sound, and through blurry eyes Ryuko watched as the creature's maw split down the middle, tearing in half and revealing an organ the likes of which she'd never seen before.

If it was a tongue, it was like none she'd ever seen of. The organ was long and cylindrical, similar to the tendrils hoisting Ryuko up. The growth ended in a large bulb surrounded by fangs that squirmed like fingers lining the perimeter. A deep pit consumed the flesh past the teeth, and as it approached her a wave of nausea assaulted the teen. The limb moved in front of her face, and a brief flash of terror slid through her body. _It's going to eat my head._ Ryuko thought to herself, wiggling in the tendril's grasp as she tried to distance herself from it. _It's going to eat my head and I can't do anything about it!_

It didn't eat her head.

Instead, the horrid organ hovered before her face, its fangs twitching with pregnant anticipation as the surrounding muscle flexed and pulsed. The teen grimaced, growling as she tried to move farther from it and paying for it as spots floated into her vision. The blood was rushing to her skull, and Ryuko was beginning to feel the aftereffects as her vision began to swim.

The girl blinked. It almost looked as though some sort of bright after image was swirling around the hollow limb, almost like a strange, white mist that the organ seemed to consume. "W…what…?" The teen mumbled, staring in confusion as an orb, bright and glowing and translucent, appeared between the two of them. It wasn't very large, little bigger than her fist, yet for some reason its appearance filled her with an unwavering anxiety. _What is that?_ She wondered, her mouth losing the ability to form words as the stars in her vision exploded in fireworks. _What_ is _that?_

The organ appeared to act as a suction, and groggily Ryuko watched as the circular row of fangs stretched out, almost as though reaching for the tiny light. The orb moved towards the organ, and a small whimper emerged from the hybrid's throat. Something deep in the recesses of her brain punched and screamed and panicked at the sight of the tiny globe, screaming its importance in her ear. Yet its desires were weak and unclear, and despite the panicking little voice howling _No! No! No!_ Ryuko could not bring herself to reach for it.

The fangs suddenly snapped inwards around the globe, and a pain unlike anything Ryuko had ever experienced tore through her being.

Her mouth parted, yet Ryuko could not scream, could not so much as _breathe_ from the sheer intensity of pain coursing through her being. It was as if she was suddenly being torn limb from limb, her nerves alive with wretched sensations reminiscent of boiling blood and dissolving flesh. Her body trembled under the sudden stress, straining as it fought off an attack the teen could not see. The girl's vision began to darken, fading in and out with each explosion of light that flickered in her gaze. What was happening? Was she dying? What was that orb to her?

Somewhere far off, Ryuko thought she heard a scream and with it came a fresh mental image, one whose existence the teen could not verify. It was that of a beast; a predator adorned with curved talons and long claws and dagger teeth. The type of which haunted her dreams and lived in the shades of her ancestors, hiding where no man dared tread for fear of consumption. For this was the red-eyed demon, the one who fed upon the flames that chased all others away and ensnared its prey in the safety of one's home.

_The demon's awake…_ A voice hissed quietly in her ear. It was one she barely recognized, yet one she knew instinctively as that small, sinister reptile that dwelled in the deepest depths of her mind. _The demon's awake, and it's_ hungry.

A chill, cold and unbearable, traveled slowly up her spine, piercing through the veil of pain as Ryuko was suddenly released. The teen hit the floor with a gasp, and as her body throbbed in tune with her heart the girl looked up, finding the wretched creature writhing in what looked like pain. Something was falling from it at an unknown point high upon its mass, and the bright orb was released from its grasp.

Immediately the mind-numbing pain that so brilliantly overtook her began to ease. _That thing is important_. She thought to herself, and though her body trembled with the effort, the girl began pushing herself up, eyes of an inhuman blue staring gravely at the shining globe. Straining herself, the teen reached for it yet the tiny globe was well beyond her reach, and with a pained gasp the youth collapsed once more. _Can't reach…_ Her pulse pounded loudly in her skull, almost deafening her to the sounds of the creature's cries of agony.

The teen sucked in a deep breath, releasing it with a slow shudder as Ryuko attempted to gather her strength. One eye, bright and shiny with desperation, looked up towards the creature once more, only to widen in horror. A hand had emerged from one of the creature's organs, red and dark with flesh and gore. It held what could only be the abomination's heart in its grip, the severed veins still gushing whatever blood remained within as its pulse steadily weakened.

The hand slowly sunk back into the mass from whence it had emerged, and the creature released a shuddering wail before collapsing in a fit. It was all Ryuko could do to roll out of its way as the horror hit the ground before her, narrowly missing the orb that the monster had once sought. The teen rested on her back, and panting, the girl turned to stare at beast. The deformation released one last pitiful groan and spasm, and then fell still.

Something growled, and the new corpse twitched as something stepped atop its mass. Ryuko caught sight of a bare foot, pink and red with blood, and a green hospital gown whose ends were stained similarly. _Who…?_ The person began to make their way down from the corpse, footsteps creating sickening squelching noises as the individual's weight sunk into the organs.

The person paused near the bright orb, and here Ryuko made out a feminine face lighted with wild, curly blond hair. _Iori…_ The woman paused to regard it, then looked down at the teen. Ryuko's throat went dry.

Red.

There was so much red.

The woman stared down at her with inhuman red eyes, the pupils thin and slit like those of a vicious beast and holding a baleful quality like that of a tiger eyeing a deer. Her mouth was red and wet with blood, the thick liquid so concentrated that it dripped off her chin and ran down her neck in rivulets.

It was a horrid sight to see, one made more so by the torn heart the woman held in one hand. _She killed it._ Ryuko thought, her apprehension towards the woman growing by the second. _She killed it, that…that_ thing _! What is this woman?! Is she even_ human _?_

Yet even as the questions traveled through her mind, Ryuko found she already knew the answers. They were obvious, though now the teen found that she wished they remained hidden. This was no woman. This was not even some strange hybridization of Man and Life Fiber as was Ragyo or herself.

No…as the woman stepped past the orb and kneeled to observe Ryuko with her beastly red eyes, with her bloody mouth and the menacing red stripes that adorned her face, one thought ran through Ryuko's mind.

_This woman is a demon._

The woman reached out towards her with one hand, and a single finger brushed her forehead.

A bolt of white hot energy traveled through her skull.

And as Ryuko's vision began to fade, the woman that had been introduced to Ryuko as Iori Marla vanished from sight.

* * *

When Shiro awoke, he found himself surrounded by darkness and silence. The air was stuffy around him, and uncharacteristically cold. One bleary, golden eye pried itself open and he became aware of the large drape that covered his body. The lad grimaced, his body throbbing as he pushed the heavy cloth off him and sucked in a large breath of fresh air. With it came the unfortunate stench of something rotten and putrid, and the teen gagged, coughing hoarsely as he tried to clear burning lungs.

"What-" the teen once more broke into a fit of coughs, his throat scalding as the blond desperately tried to draw air. "What happened?" The youth slowly surveyed the area, disliking what he saw and feeling a wave of trepidation arise as he caught sight of the large mass sprawled out in the center of the lobby.

Shiro paled as he recognized the beast, and all the memories of the past hour came rushing back to him. "That thing…" He whispered, voice soft and weak and terrified as the blond scrambled to his feet. "What's _that_ thing doing here?!" Quickly he retreated from it, backing up towards the wall and freezing as a cold draft of air sent his hair rising. The teen froze, slowly looking over his shoulder and towards the large hole in what once had been a pair of windows.

"Oh… _fuck_ …" Shiro had never been one to swear. Such vulgarities were better suited towards people like Uzu, and were unfitting for one who'd been raised under high expectations. His uncle alone would tan his hide if he ever heard Shiro using such language, yet given how high up the lobby was and how close he was to the hole and the monster and…

Well, given the situation, Shiro was certain his uncle would forgive this one slip.

Besides, the youth couldn't think of any better words to fit the situation.

Taking a deep breath, Shiro edged himself away from the hole, doing his best to ignore the pull and push of the wind from where the drafts grew stronger. Keeping his gaze centered on the beast, the blond slowly approached a corner of the room, watching carefully for any signs that the creature might notice him. When he reached what he judged to be a safe distance from both the gaping hole in the wall and the monster, Shiro released a breath he'd not known he'd held. The youth clutched his chest, listening for the beat of his heart and almost sagging in relief at the steady, even beats that echoed in his skull.

"I'm good." He whispered. "Looks like my heart didn't give out on me this time."

That didn't explain how he'd come to this room, though. Nor did it explain the sleeping monstrosity before him. _Someone brought me here._ He thought wearily, recalling Nonon and Ira's panicked voices in the midst of his own panic. _I must have been in worse shape than I thought._ But then where were the others? Nonon and Ira? Matoi and Mankanshoku? And what was he doing here with that… _thing_?

"I need to find the others." He told himself, speaking aloud and drawing comfort in his own voice. "If we can regroup, we can come up with a plan. I just…need…to…" The youth trailed off, looking towards the empty hallway that led to the many hospital rooms on the floor and instead seeing a trail of red leading back towards the lobby. Shiro inhaled deeply at the sight, and then closed his eyes, taking a moment to rid his mind of any of the more distracting 'what if's' that spawned from the image. "Get past the beast first, worry about the blood later." He told himself, and with that thought in the forefront of his mind, the lad slowly crept towards the hallway.

The blond kept one eye on the monster, watching and waiting for any indications that it might rouse from its slumber. Yet there was nothing, and as he drew closer to his escape another sight entered his vision instead. It was one that made him pause, for like the beast in the lobby it was unlike anything he'd ever seen before.

"A floating orb." The youth stared at it blankly, wondering if perhaps his eyes were deceiving him in his initial weakness. The teen rubbed his eyes and looked again, yet the orb did not disappear as he'd expected. "What?" The object hovered silently before the beast, an ethereal mist rising and dissipating around it and it slowly swayed up and down. It was almost an entrancing sight, and for a moment Shiro forgot where he was or the danger he was in, losing himself to the gentle rhythm of the pulsing globe before him.

A shadow moved, and Shiro jumped, expecting to find the creature stirring from its slumber. Instead what appeared was one the blond felt was equally terrifying as a black dog climbed atop the monstrosity. It leered down at him with bright white eyes, pointed ears perked up and alert for any signs of activity. Its body was lean and lithe, adorned in a coat of fine, short hairs so black and shiny it held an almost purple sheen. Its muzzle was long and slender, and as Shiro stared up at it that muzzle parted in a pant, revealing long, silver canines that shone dully in the light. Its tail, thick and bushy and as black as the rest of its body, thumped against the monster once in acknowledgment, and Shiro felt the air catch in his throat.

_It's here._ A voice rose in a panic in the back of his mind. _It's here it's here it's here! Why is it here? What does it want?_ The black dog bowed its head, sniffing at the monster's body before gently lapping at the exposed muscle. Shiro, for his part, didn't move; not until the canine suddenly snapped at the pile of muscles and organs and raised a muzzle red with blood. At that point, he released a panicked shout before he could internalize it.

The monster didn't so much as twitch.

_Is it dead? Why isn't it moving? Did the black dog really just bite it?_ His mind awash with questions, Shiro almost didn't notice the canine jumping down from the beast and approaching him. When he did notice it, it gave rise to panic as all thoughts of subtlety were thrown out the window. With a gasp Shiro retreated, doing his best to keep the distance between himself and the hound and instead catching sight of one final thing to send his nerves on edge.

"M-Matoi?"

A sliver of ice encompassed his spine, and his fear of the black dog and its monster forgotten, Shiro ran to the collapsed teen. Eyes bright with concern, the youth dropped to his knees, hands immediately going to Ryuko's neck as his fingers sought out a pulse. It took him a moment in his urgency, yet he found it; strong and steady and alive, and with it Shiro released a relived sigh. "You're alive." He mumbled, covering his face with one hand, "Thank goodness. For a moment I thought…"

The teen shook his head, rousing himself from the dark thoughts in favor of looking the girl over more closely. Aside from a couple of new bruises and some scrapes, Ryuko looked none the worse for wear. Satisfied that there weren't any hidden injuries speaking otherwise, the blond shook the girl's shoulder, trying to rouse her as gently as possible.

"Matoi….Matoi, wake up, we need to get out of here." The hybrid didn't respond, and grimacing Shiro looked over his shoulder and towards the monster, finding it still unresponsive as the strange orb continued to dangle before it.

The dog hadn't moved either.

Shiro repressed a shudder and turned his back to the beast, trying to ignore the almost physical weight of the creature's eyes as it bore into him. It made the hair on the nape of his neck rose in alarm, and with a sense of urgency the blond lightly slapped Ryuko's cheeks. "Hey, come on. Wake _up_ Matoi."

Still there came no response, and despite himself Shiro began to fear that perhaps there really _was_ some hidden injury on Matoi's person. The teen wasn't bleeding though, nor could he see any sort of liquid departing her ears or nose, and scowling Shiro once more looked over his shoulder.

The dog was closer now.

The monster had yet to move.

Shiro felt his heart speed up just a little more, felt the fear in his being rise to new heights, and turned his gaze back to Ryuko. Without another thought the teen grabbed one arm and maneuvered himself under the girl. Carefully, the lad rose unsteadily to his feet, legs trembling as he tried to adjust to the additional weight now draped across his back.

There came a soft _chuff_ from behind him, and Shiro closed his eyes, knowing what was behind him and refusing to acknowledge it. Something pressed against his legs; something cold and black and _alien_ , and it was all the lad could do not to drop his cargo. _Soul…_ A voice whispered in his mind, and with a gasp Shiro opened his eyes once more, tense and scared as a thought not his own swam through his brain.

The dog was gone.

The orb remained; however, along with the wretched mass that was the monster.

The lad glared at the beast, golden eyes hard as he slowly reached out towards the orb. A soul? Was such a thing possible? His fingers lightly brushed the wisps of the tiny globe, and a warm and tingling sensation danced across his skin. It was an eerie sensation, and his arms erupted with gooseflesh as he hesitantly reached out to grab it. It held an alien consistency to it, his hand traveling through the mist and wrapping around what felt like delicate glass. It was hot, too. Not hot enough to burn, but enough to be noticeable.

Carefully he drew it to him, and atop him Shiro felt Ryuko squirm against him. The teen moaned, and Shiro looked to the creature.

Nothing.

"Maybe it really _is_ dead." Shiro whispered quietly. Taking his gaze off the beast for a moment, the blond tilted his head to look up at Ryuko. "Are you awake?"

The girl muttered listlessly but otherwise did not respond. Frowning, Shiro unconsciously gripped the frail orb tighter, and Ryuko released a pain cried that made him jump. His agitation reaching new heights, the lad made no connections between the supposed 'soul' and the girl's pain, and instead put further pressure on the little orb in a bid of carelessness.

Ryuko _shrieked_ , and suddenly Shiro felt the air cut from his lungs as the girl came to life on his back, desperately grabbing him with the strength of one slowly being murdered. The girl's grip was a rigid vice, and choking the blond abandoned the orb in favor of prying the hybrid off himself for air.

Apparently this did not help matters, as Ryuko awoke in a panic, took one look at him, and the proceeded to scream, "Let me _go_ you fuckmothering, heart-eating, demonic hellspawn!" As if to add insult to injury, Matoi then proceeded to grab the hem of his shit, cock a fist back, and then smashed him in the face with all the staggering power of a human enhanced by Life Fibers. The blow was enough to eliminate Shiro's grip on her, and it also provided him the opportunity to share his first kiss with the ground.

The pain was crippling, and as Ryuko slowly returned to her senses Shiro took the opportunity to lie where he'd landed, curling into a ball of misery and pain so great it was almost pitiful to behold.

Panting, Ryuko picked herself up, glaring heavily down at the blond as her frenzied mind whirled like an angry hornet's nest. Growling, the teen raised a foot up to stomp on the youth, hesitating only when the ball of light caught her attention. The girl stared at it for a moment before blue eyes narrowed in anger. " _This_ thing…" She growled, momentarily forgetting her initial target in favor of the orb. "What the hell _is_ this thing?!" The teen swiped at it, attempting to grab the hovering globe, only to yelp when the ball vanished inside her in an explosion of light.

"It went inside me." Ryuko blinked, and then her eyes widened with dawning comprehension. "It went _inside_ me!" She cried, hopping and dancing from one leg to another as the teen attempted to examine her body. "What's it doing?! What's it _doing_ in me?!" Her panicked voice rose in a shout, and that shout rose into a scream when a hand reached out and grabbed her ankle.

Shiro pulled with all his might, and even with the panic-induced adrenaline coursing through her Ryuko went down easily. The teen's head collided with the tile, and another wave of curses emerged from her. Shiro released her, slowly sitting up and tenderly rubbing his jaw. It felt swollen, but he didn't think it was broken. "That's for my cheek." A line of blood trickled from his mouth from a split lip, and carelessly he swiped at it, staining his sleeve in the process.

Growling, Matoi rose into a sitting position, glaring heatedly as she rubbed the back of her head. "You-"

"Not a word." Shiro interrupted, matching her glare with a scowl of his own. "You insulted me and assaulted me for no fathomable reason. Unless it's an explanation for your actions you'd best hold your tongue." The words came with a slight slur, and his jaw creaked painfully, yet the lad ignored it, doing little more than narrowing his eyes in irritation. The blond sucked in a deep breath. "Now," he started, "given the fact that our ugly friend has yet to awaken after your rousing awakening, I'm going to assume it's dead. I believe that gives you some time to explain yourself."

Ryuko glared at him for a brief moment before a guilty looks weaseled its way onto her face. Hesitantly the girl dropped her gaze in favor of the beast, then returned it to Shiro. "…Sorry." The teen muttered. "I…had a bad dream." She confessed, her gaze once more straying to the mass of organs. "Except now I'm not entirely sure it _was_ a dream." The teen leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees as the black-haired girl gently cradled her forehead. "Tell you what," She decided, "if you can tell me what happen to your mom, I'll explain myself to you."

Shiro stared at the girl with a guarded look. "What does my mother have to do with anything?"

"Nothing…nothing, I hope." Ryuko sighed. "Just-she was with you when you came to, right? Under the tarp Satsuki-" Abruptly the hybrid fell silent, stiffening as a look of alarm passed over her face. "Satsuki…oh _shit_!" Without a word of explanation the teen scrambled to her feet. "Where's the other blade?"

Leaving Shiro where he sat Ryuko swiftly moved to the corpse before looking over her shoulder. "Oi!" She snapped. "Don't just sit there! Go get the other half!" The teen pointed towards the threshold of the hallway before turning back to the beast, providing Shiro no explanation of what had occurred in his unconscious state.

Resigning himself to the fact that he wouldn't receive any further information from the younger Kiryuin Shiro carefully picked himself up and moved to retrieve the blade. The sight of the blade-deep tear in the floor was a surprising sight, and with a frown the teen wondered if he was even capable of removing it.

Wrapping his hands around the blade's hole, Shiro planted his feet and gave it an experimental tug. As he'd expected, the blade didn't budge. The teen tried again, applying more force to the pull and received much of the same result. "This is getting us nowhere." He grumbled, a feeling of unease coiling in his stomach as he recalled Matoi's words. "I was the only person underneath the curtain." He mumbled, staring thoughtfully at the blade. "What is she talking about? Was Mother taken somewhere?" _But who would come after her? Ragyo is dead and Satsuki is the new head of the Kiryuin Conglomerate. Our family is no longer in danger._

A hand clamped down on his shoulder, and Shiro started, looking behind him and finding Ryuko staring at him, the Scissor Blade that Nui had once wielded with such efficiency in propped against her own shoulder. "Can't get it out?"

Shiro blinked and shook his head, ridding his mind of his current thoughts. "No, it's lodged into the floor too deeply. I don't have the strength to remove it on my own."

Matoi grumbled under her breath and stepped past him, tossing him the purple blade in the process. "Hold this." She said, lightly ushering him out of the way as the girl took hold of her original half. "Satsuki got grabbed by something." She said, grunting as she began to pull at the lodged scissor. "It was a tentacle, like our buddy over there." She nodded in the monster's general direction, and Shiro watched as the weapon slowly moved upwards. "I think…there might…be more of them." The girl's voice was strained with effort, and with a gasp Ryuko removed the weapon from the manmade fissure. "I think that's what took Satsuki. Another of those things." The girl clutched her chest. "And if it makes that weird globe like it did with me…"

The girl trailed off, and the anxiety twisting in Shiro's gut intensified. _We need to find Satsuki immediately._ He thought, deciding against revealing his own suspicions on what Ryuko's 'orb' was. If it had indeed been Ryuko's soul that he'd held…Shiro shuddered to dwell on what might await Satsuki if they didn't find her in time. "Where did she go?"

Testing the edge of her blade and satisfied when she found no nicks, Ryuko pointed down the hallway. "That way, though I didn't have much time to see where it was headed before its buddy snagged me."

Shiro nodded before offering back the purple blade. "Let's get going then."

Ryuko nodded, though she didn't take the offered weapon. "Keep it until we can find Satsuki." She said, "If we run into another monster, I'm going to need all the help I can get." Without another word the teen turned and headed down the hallway, leaving a startled Shiro in her wake.

The blond looked down at the weapon, the metal cold and ruthless in his hands. "I don't know how to fight." He murmured. Slowly he grabbed the weapon's loop of a hilt, the grip feeling clumsy and awkward in a hand more fitted to sewing needles and stitches. The grasp tightened, and Shiro took a calming breath. _Satsuki needs my help._ He reminded himself. _Mother needs my help as well, I'm certain._ With a sure step he followed after Ryuko, his stride long and determined. _I am no warrior. However for Satsuki, for Mother, I will fight._

And so it was two teenagers ventured forth into a nest of monsters.

* * *

Awake.

At last she was awake. And _free_.

Subjugated to ten years of internal imprisonment within a body slowly wasting away on the Material Plain, her mind had degenerated to the most basic of instinct upon awakening. What had roused her consciousness? What had given her third-dimensional body the strength to rise and walk, stalk and kill, to run as she could now, darting down one vast corridor and into a lobby, barreling from one floor to the next with all the strength of a wild hurricane?

Such questions were beyond her in that instant. For now only one thought mattered, and that was of her own freedom from the prison that had so held her stationary for so long.

Immediately her body demanded nutrients, and even if her mind could not fully process the world around it, her instincts did not lead her astray. The world grew into two categories, and as part of began labeling what was 'food' and what was 'not food', another, smaller piece of her began a more important process:

Reconnecting with Nidhogg.

The energy demand was high; Nidhogg dwelt within her home dimension of Niflheim, located on a higher plane of existence that was neigh-unreachable in her current state. She needed nutrients, she needed _magnetite_ in order to continue, and a high quantity of it as well.

It had almost been fortunate for her to awaken in an area so rich with the substance, with one source lying right beside her as her body screamed its awakening to the heavens. Yet almost immediately the scent it gave off labeled it 'inedible' sending her into an impetuous rage as her body sought out a source of energy it could use. How fortunate then was it for her to almost immediately come across a new source of energy, this one larger by far and pleasantly ripe for her starving body.

A single strike was all it took to retrieve the organ most saturated with _magnetite_ , and _oh_ had it been sweet! Yet for all the energy it provided, it proved to only truly awaken her hunger, and it was only then that she discovered she was _ravenous._

_ESTABLISHING LINK WITH NIFLHEIMIAN SYSTEM NIDHOGG._

_INITIATING…_

_ERROR CODE 83784836774924: LINK CANNOT BE ESTABLISHED AT THIS TIME_

_PROER LINK WITH NIFLHEIMIAN SYSTEM NIDHOGG REQUIRES 5.4 KIRRUS_

_CURRENT KIRRUS AVAILABLE: 1.39_

_ADDITIONAL 4.01 KIRRUS REQUIRED IN ORDER TO PROCEED._

The words buzzed within her mind, and a growl emerged in the depths of her throat as irritation preceded the words. While the language appeared as little more than foreign shapes and symbols in her damaged mind, the initial sense of failure remained. The ache in her stomach signaled the need for more substance, and with her the core of her initial prey removed she turned her sights to her next target.

The core of this one had already been removed, hovering brightly before the prey-beast that had been about to consume it. Yet its initial form was too unripe for her to feed on; a coal that had yet to form into a diamond, and appeared inedible to her senses. A passing glance was all she spared it, though she managed to steal some of the riper _magnetite_ housed in the core's main body.

The serving was meager at best; there was only so much within the core's vessel, and even then she couldn't horde it all for herself. The vessel needed a minute amount in order to function and further the core along, and while it was not instinct that held her back, some other source from the recesses of her healing mind stopped her. Instead she left vessel where it was, taking her small piece before spreading her senses to search the surrounding area for bigger, brighter cores for consumption.

There was one above her, bright and burning to the extradimensional sensory organs within her eyes. She made a noise in her throat, not so much a growl as it was a throaty purr, vanishing from sight as her body relocated her to the floor above her. There was another tiny vessel here, one who jumped and shrieked and ran down a corridor.

A part of her, that feral part that came with the instinct, was tempted to give chase. Yet her mind was aware now, awakening and shaking the cobwebs from itself as her body digested the acquired _magnetite_ and began to repair her cognitive abilities. With it came a desire for something larger, something more substantial, and as the little core ran off in her panic she headed another direction, senses focused on the bright essence that would most certainly allow a reconnection with Nidhogg.

A small, hungry smile crept upon her face, and wordlessly she bolted towards the source. A simple thought left her transparent, and she passed through the walls with a fluid ease that left other occupants screaming in fright. She ignored their shouts; little more than distractors from her main prey, and was rewarded for her efforts as she entered a new room. This one was larger than the other areas she'd passed through, though it was similarly occupied by small vessels with tiny cores.

What was different; however, was the sheer _quantity_ of little vessels. It was enough to make her stop outright, pausing in the center of the large room examine her new surroundings. A piece of her took note of the absence of items from the previous areas, _machines…_ her mind whispered _heart monitors, beds, IV lines, all absent_.

Instead the walls were coated with a strange, fleshy material stained with red streaks. Occult symbols, some the higher mind deemed 'familiar', were painted on the floor in black and stained red with a substance that reeked heavily of iron. Like the material on her face, it had been drained of any _magnetite_ , and she could feel the residue energy of what the essence had been used for. _Summoning._ The more logical part of her whispered. _Summon's nest?_

It was a question she couldn't answer, a tingle ringing high in her brain instructing her to investigate the walls. Uncertain of what else to do, she followed her instincts and walked towards one of the walls. The fleshy surface was covered in large, translucent egg-like sacs, and as she peered inside a face appeared within, staring at her with wide, blank eyes. She stared at it for a moment before moving to its neighbor, which held a face with an expression identical to the first. Another egg provided another face, and another, and another, until she stepped away to survey the room once more.

The room was _filled_ with eggs, with _people_ , all who watched her with unseeing eyes. _Core?_ This room had been the source of the large essence she'd felt earlier… _Many cores?_ Was this what she'd actually sensed? Not one large core, but many small vessels gathered compactly into one place?

A frustrated growl emerged from the depths of her throat, and a lip curled up in a snarl. This wasn't what she'd wanted! This wasn't what she needed! Yes, the many vessels here could give her strength, yet the process would be time consuming, and it was urgent that she recuperate what had been lost.

"Beautiful, aren't they?"

Her ears twitched at the sound, and she turned to face the owner, finding a larger vessel watching her from the threshold of the room. It was human in appearance, and it bore its teeth in a manner she took for a challenge. Her growl rose in intensity and warning, and the being raised its hands. "Calm yourself now, I assure you, I'm no enemy."

The vessel stepped towards her, and she tensed, backing away in order to keep their established distance from one another. One of the eggs erupted in flame, and as the fluid cackled and burned a horrid screech arose with it. The vessel started, scrambling away from the sudden fire before returning its attention to her. "Easy, easy now…" His voice was low and soothing, though she could hear an edge of uncertainty beneath the calm. "I'm here to help, surely you must realize this." He paused, but did not approach. Her warning had done a good job of establishing her position. "Do you not—you don't recognize me, do you?" He asked, before breaking into laughter. "I see. Marla…no, I suppose your proper title is _Fortuna_ Marller of the Femme Clan, yes?" Once more the vessel bore its teeth at her. "I'm your doctor, _Fortuna_ Marller. I was assigned to look after you and ensure your health returns to you upon awakening."

She said nothing, and the… _doctor's_ expression began to darken. "You're in desperate need of _magnetite,_ Marller, and I took it upon myself to collect a surplus amount for you." He spread an arm wide, gesturing to the surrounding pods. "Do you see all of this?" He asked. "I spent five years, _five years_ collecting them all for you." A figure emerged from his shadow, large and muscular and covered with talismans. "This is the fruit of my labors, something I worked hard masking from human society. I even summoned the Mortal Soul Eater, the _Kiyatu_ , in order to convert the _magnetite_ within the bodies around you into a useable source of energy for you. Surely even a Higher Demon such as you can appreciate such an effort, especially from one so lowly as the _Yi Shen_."

Still she said nothing, and before her the _Yi Shen_ began to shift uneasily. She ignored him however, her focus instead centering on the beast behind him with its flesh of talismans and six legs. Its aura was familiar to her, and despite herself her heart began to thump wildly in her chest. _The core…THE CORE!_ It was large and beautiful, almost identical to the vessel she'd previously preyed upon. Her mouth began to water at the sight of it as the voracious hunger from before began to overwhelm her senses. Her body acting with a will of its own, she stepped towards it, hands stiffening into horrid claws stained red with the blood of her previous victim.

The doctor seemed to notice. "Ah…so I am correct! You are hungry, yes? I can see it written across your face." The vessel's voice grew confident, and he stepped in front of the _Kiyatu_. "Then let me ask for your patience, Demon of Karma." Her eyes narrowed into a glare. "Let the beast feast on the buffet I have provided! And when it has consumed the mortals here, consume it as your kind does and gain the _magnetite_ within its body! My only request," his voice grew grave, "is that you show benevolence to my clan, and represent them in the upcoming year. For ours is a clan reviled by both Gods and Demons alike, and we need one with power such as yours to aid us in the upcoming task." He spread his arms apart and away from his body; a demon's sign of submission recognizable even her most basic of instincts.

Yet the words made little sense to her. Noises and cries whose true meanings were lost to her, little more than the mad screeches of a mouse to a cat. And likewise, what she saw before her was no doctor, no _Yi Shen_ seeking aid, but that of a prey-beast.

One whose core shown like that of a warm ball, the little vessel standing before a prey-beast with a core of an even larger size.

She swallowed, hunger pains gnawing the inside of her stomach. _Feed…_ A voice commanded in her skull, the one simple word echoing and ricocheting within her mind like a bullet. _Feed. Feed. Feed. FEED._

She stepped towards the doctor, the _Yi Shen_ , eyes alight with deadly intent.

And this time it was the doctor who stepped back, the smile on his face dropping as he realized the demon he spoke to was little more than a tiger readying to pounce. "You…surely you must be joking." He said weakly, pressing into the beast at his back and hearing paper crackled against his coat. "It can't be…after everything I've done…was I too late?" His voice acquired an anxious whine, and still she did not respond. I-I couldn't have…No, I shouldn't have been so late as to-"

She charged him, and one of the eggs behind the _Kiyatu_ exploded, body and liquid alight erupting in flames that fell upon the Soul Eater's paper flesh. The monster screamed, the human within screamed, and the _Yi Shen_ screamed, " _No, no, NO!_ " His voice rose in desperate panic. "It's not supposed to be like this! _It's not supposed to end this way!"_

Yet she was beyond his words now, pouncing atop his body with a snarl, fangs and claws bared in hostility. The doctor screamed in fear and pain, yet before she could silence him something large and smoky collided with her frame. Her body flew upwards, colliding with a wall and several eggs with enough force to break the shells. Sweet-smelling liquid drenched her and left her sputtering and coughing, and two of the imprisoned vessels fell listlessly to the floor. The _magnetite_ within their cores began to darken as their bodies hit the floor, and a twinge of annoyance coursed through her being.

Two perfectly good cores, extinguished due to carelessness.

At that moment, she became aware of two things.

The first was that she was aware of the concept of waste.

The second was her heavy dislike of wasted resources.

With a deafening shriek, she launched herself towards the duo.

Only now the _Yi Shen_ and _Kiyatu_ were prepared, and it was with defiance that the doctor stood in challenge. "You failed me." He said, and with it came an old and ancient anger that spoke of many a hard time suffered at the hands of others. "I placed my faith in you, and you failed me before you even had a chance to shine as a beacon for my people." His eyes, the pupils little more than a horizontal slit, narrowed in hate. "I was wrong to come to you for aid. So allow me to be the good doctor I am and end your suffering!"

His hands closed into strange and convoluted symbols, the fingers rising to his mouth as he screamed at her.

A bright burst of light extended from his throat, and it was only through sheer reflex that the sudden attack only grazed her arm. It was enough to throw her attack off balance, though, and as her right arm tingled oddly she ceased her attack, landing hard on the ground several feet away from him.

The _Yi Shen_ smiled, and he wiped his mouth. "So it works on you as well…" He murmured. "Strong you may be, but it seems even the Higher Niflheimian Demons aren't immune to the Gorgon's Shriek."

She rose to her feet, the tingle rising into a wretched numb as she tried to flex her arm.

The limb didn't move.

And as she looked down at an arm the same grey as stone, a slow sense of alarm filled her being.

Across from her, the _Yi Shen_ rolled his shoulders. "Let's finish this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments of a Madwoman: I don't normally switch perspective this often, however a great deal was happening at once in this chapter and I felt it was necessary to see the different viewpoints.
> 
> 'Magnetite' is a world from the Shin Megami Tensei series dealing with the energy needed to allow the demons in that game to produce physical bodies on the Material Plane, allowing them to interact with the player. The lore is that humans generally emit magnetite, and demons will feed off them in order to gain that power.
> 
> Kirrus are a unit of measure found in Ancient Mespotamian scripture.
> 
> 'Yi Shen and Kiyatu' are two species found in the manga 'Sazan Eyes' and belong to their respective creator.


	5. Trance Awake

_September 29, 1991_

Marla paced the length of her room restlessly, pausing occasionally to look out the window and into the autumn trees below. Nervously she hugged herself, a disgruntled frown on her face as she peered through the stained glass and to the world beyond. “Today.” She muttered, coaming her fingers through her hair before turning and once more resuming her excited walk. “I can’t believe-after so long, today’s the day.”

The woman passed her bed, neatly made with two bags resting on top. It wasn’t much; small, worn backpacks Kenji had bought her from a thrift store. Money was tight, even after six months working a higher-paying job. Being a Jane Doe, Marla didn’t exactly have insurance, which helped little with the medical bills. The only advantage was that she had few possessions save what had been given to her by the hospital and Kenji; even the clothes they’d found her in had been lost, stolen or thrown out long after she’d been admitted.

Poor Kenji had been ashamed to present the bags to her, fearing that they’d be an inadequate gift for her. It had taken a large amount of persuasion and no small amount of affection to convince him otherwise, and even then the poor man remained embarrassed, promising he’d buy her better bags when there was more money in the bank.

A small, warm smile slid across her face. “I told him I’d help him.” She murmured, and briefly her heart fluttered in her chest. The blonde brought a hand to her chest, and the smile broadened. “I’m going to help him. I’ll finally be able to repay him for all he’s done for me.”

Giddy, the woman looked up to the clock above the door, finding it had changed by only three minutes since last she’d checked. Kenji was due to meet her at noon, and she still had roughly half an hour before he arrived. Marla bit her lip, grabbing one of the two bags and making her way to one of the chairs situated near the window. Sitting down, the woman rummaged around through the pack, withdrawing an art book and a pen. Taking a deep breath, the woman opened it, flipping through various pages covered with rudimentary sketches and finally settling down on a page with a minimal amount of drawings. Clicking the top of the pen, the woman began to draw.

In the months she’d been in the hospital, Marla had almost completely filled up the little book, having had so much free time while doctors puzzled over her symptoms and officers attempted to identify her. _The missing person who wasn’t missing_ , they liked to call her. She’d even been interviewed by news reporters in an attempt to identify her, yet no one had come forward to claim her. The lack of an ID, passport, or anything else to identify her had been problematic as well, since none of the local embassies could be contacted for assistance. A lack of fingerprints on file at least proved she wasn’t a convict, though did little in identifying her nationality. For all intent and purposes, Marla Yamada was a ghost.

A knock came from the door, and Marla jumped, looking up from her sketch and to the clock on the wall. _He’s here._ The woman looked back down at her sketch, puzzling slightly over the detailed set of eyes she’d been working on and finding the drawing slightly unnerving. She’d gotten rather good at drawing eyes, since they always seemed to be one of the main focuses of her dreams, but this set in particular was almost _too_ good.

It almost felt like the eyes were staring directly at her.

Frowning, the woman closed the book, storing it and the pen with a shake of her head before rising to her feet. “Come in!” She chirped, smiling broadly as the door swung inwards and Kenji stepped inside. The man grinned as he laid eyes on her, and as he shut the door behind him Marla bound over to him. She embraced him, and with a laugh the shorter man returned her hug, kissing her lightly on the cheek.

“Are you packed and ready?” He asked, holding her at arm’s length as he looked her over.

The woman nodded excitedly. “I’ve been ready since they told me I could leave.”

“Then let’s not waste any more time.” Releasing her, Kenji moved to grab the remaining back from the bed, hoisting it over a shoulder. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

The day was crisp and cool as the duo left the hospital, yet not cold enough to warrant a jacket. Not yet. The trees were already casting their autumn dresses, and as they headed towards a car lot Marla took the time to observe the many shades of red, orange, and yellow that they passed. Being a Sunday, it was relatively busy out with various teens and children out enjoying their day off. More than once Marla caught a lingering gaze from some of the more curious kids, and just as much Marla ignored them, having adjusted long ago to the looks her foreign appearance drew.

As they entered the lot Kenji looked over to her. “Are you hungry? We can stop and grab something if you’d like.” He winked at her. “You know, give you a taste of some real food and not that chalk they serve you in the hospital.”

“Hey! It wasn’t that bad!” Marla protested, “I actually liked some of their food.”

“My point exactly!” Kenji retorted. “You’ve eaten nothing but garbage for the past six months. You don’t even know what real food taste like.”

The blond smacked his shoulder playfully, and Kenji laughed. The smile faded somewhat from Marla’s face. “Are you sure though? I know your tight on cash—we can skip it if you want, I don’t mind.”

The man shook his head. “Oh no, don’t you start about money now.” He scolded. “I’ve been putting some yen aside precisely for this occasion. You’re fresh out of the hospital and a free woman. We’re going to celebrate, whether you like it or not.” Placing the bags in the back seat, the duo climbed into the small car that Kenji owned. “Besides, you’ve never tasted my cooking,” he muttered, “we’re really better off eating out. Unless you like the taste of carbon…”

“I’ve had worse.” Marla said absently. “Though I suppose…if you’re really insistent on it…”

“I am.”

“…Could we try soba? One of the patients was telling me about it and they don’t serve it at the hospital.”

Kenji glanced over at her in surprise. “Soba? Really? That’s it?”

“What, is there something wrong with soba?”

Quickly the man shook his head. “Oh no, there’s nothing wrong with it. I was just expecting something…I don’t know…” he shrugged, “pricey? I mean, soba is cheap. We can get it anywhere. You don’t want anything special? Like Chiba’s special Illustrated Sushi or its Sesame Sardines?”

The blonde snorted. “I’m not trying to drive you to debt, Kenji. You know that, right?”

“Never realized you were such a cheap date.” The man glanced at her from the corner of one eye, a sly smile on his face.

Marla grinned. “Oh, I’m not,” she purred, “just you wait. Once we’re done paying off the medical bills, you’re taking me out on a cruise, and I’m going to get drunk off those fancy drinks with the little umbrellas.”

It brought about a quick bought of laughter from Kenji, and Marla leaned back in her seat, enjoying the sound of his voice and the warm, peaceful feelings that came with it. The laughter faded, and in a soft voice Marla heard the man whisper, “thank you.”

Without thinking the woman leaned over, taking the opportunity to grab his hand and squeeze it gently. It was over as quickly as it began, and the rest of their journey was spent in a comfortable silence.

A peaceful silence, made possible only by two people completely at ease with each other.

~*~

_Present_

The reek of blood was almost overwhelming.

The farther in they went, the more the two of them found signs of the creature that had taken Satsuki from them. It had left a trail in its wake, one of long stains of blood and hospital rooms void of patients. The hallways were eerily empty of people, quiet except for the high drone of heart monitors with no one to monitor.

The entire atmosphere made the hair rise on the nape of Ryuko’s neck, yet grimly the girl continued forward, determined to find the threat and face it before it could do more harm. Behind her she could hear Iori’s ragged breath and the older youth attempted to stay calm, and though it disgusted her a part of Ryuko took comfort in that fact. After the first monster, the teen was uncertain if her courage was strong enough to allow her to continue on alone.

 _Life Fibers are one thing, but this is something else entirely._ She thought grimly. _I can do Life Fibers. I can do aliens that absorb people without actually killing them. I can handle alien invasions._

But this… _This is the stuff of nightmares. I feel like I’m a character in a horror movie._ She’d never enjoyed that genre, not after seeing some of the more real horrors out on the streets. Reality was always more terrifying than fiction, but when those fictional elements began to make their way into her actual life…

_I hope Satsuki’s okay. I hope Mako made it out of here with the others. I don’t think I can deal with two crises at once._

They passed a lab room, its door hanging slightly ajar, only for Iori to pause at the entrance. “Matoi.” The lad breathed, and Ryuko froze. “Someone’s in there.”

Slowly the girl turned, looking over her shoulder at the blonde. The teen looked like a child holding the oversized scissor blade, and a scared one at that. The boy’s entire attention was in the room, and sensing her gaze he pointed into the lab. Hesitantly, Ryuko joined him, peering inside and immediately regretting it. Red smears coated the walls, all of them the bright shade of dried blood. The steel table at the center of the room was overturned, with instruments, papers, and broken vials littering the tile floor. A small chemistry set lined with beakers lay destroyed on a countertop, the many containers holding who knew what broken, their contents scattered and dripping to the floor.

And then she saw it.

A foot.

A foot lay behind the over turned table, and at the other end, Ryuko spied a hand. A broken mop handle rested a couple of inches away, and Ryuko had to swallow the bile rising at the back of her throat.

The teen took a shuddering breath. “Wait here.” Some part of her was proud that her voice didn’t tremble. “I’m going to check it out.”

“No.”

Ryuko looked at Iori sharply, and the boy returned her heated gaze with steely gold. “I’m to watch your back, yes? Then I’m coming with you. It could be a trap.”

The girl scowled at him for a moment before proceeding into the room, mindful of the broken glass and spilled liquids. When nothing immediately jumped out at them, the girl peered around the table. A doctor was lying on the other side. The man was sprawled out on the ground, his face expressionless as he stared blankly up at the ceiling. “Is…is he dead?”

Beside her Iori carefully walked around the table, setting the blade down and kneeling before the man as he brought two fingers to the doctor’s neck. After a moment the boy frowned. “He’s alive.” Drawing back, the youth moved a hand in front of the man’s eyes. “But…no reaction?” The frown deepened, and Iori moved to snap his fingers near the man’s ears. The doctor remained unresponsive.

“What’s wrong with him? Why isn’t he responding?” Ryuko stared at the man in distress, yet Iori only shook his head.

“I couldn’t tell you.” He murmured. “It’s like he’s not there. Like he’s unconscious.”

“With his eyes open?” Ryuko stared at the blonde, a dark brow raised doubtfully.

Iori shrugged. “I can’t tell as I am now. We’re pressed for time and I don’t trust anything in this lab due to possible contamination.” The lad swept his arms to the red stains on the wall. “For all I know, even with the right tools and a degree in medicine, if that monster is responsible for this man’s state I still wouldn’t know what was wrong with him.” He stared at her in distress. “What do we do with him? We can’t leave him out in the open like this.”

“We can’t take him with us either.” Ryuko grumbled, observing the room with a scowl before spotting a secondary door off in the main room’s corner. “What’s this?” Avoiding the spills, the teen maneuvered around the room and to the secondary door.

“Careful Matoi.” Iori warned, and Ryuko paused, staring back at the boy. “The…blood. There’s a lot of it around that door. Like it was trying to get inside. That…thing might be in there.”

Ryuko looked back to the door, this time taking note of how the corner was almost coated in red. The girl licked her lips nervously. “Well then, that’ll save us the trouble of hunting it down further.” With one hand holding her blade aloft and ready, Ryuko grabbed the doorknob, counting to three before twisting the nob and yanking the door open. “Found you!” She snarled, blade raised high and menacing.

And ready to come down on the terrified nurse armed with only a broom.

The woman shrieked and cowered behind her makeshift weapon, and with a yelp Ryuko grabbed the hilt with both hands, yanking back with enough force to stop the blade mid swing. It came to rest slightly above the terrified nurse’s head, and not wasting further breath the woman bolted out, abandoning her weapon as she raced for the door.

Iori yelped in surprise, and the woman screamed again as she sighted both him and the unconscious doctor. “Leave him alone!” She cried, throwing a high kick that would have slammed into Iori’s head had the boy not ducked. Quickly, the teen retreated, and with a sob the woman fell to her knees, the unconscious doctor absorbing the woman’s attention entirely.

“Oi!” Ryuko snapped, gaining the nurse’s attention. “What’s going on? Was it that monster? What happened to that doctor?”

The nurse flinched, looking up at Ryuko fearfully. “I don’t know-who are you? Why do you have _that_?” She pointed to the scissor blade. “This is a hospital! How did you even get that in here?”

The teen bristled. “Look lady, we’ve got some bigger things to worry about,” she snarled, “so why don’t we get back to the subject of the _big freaking monster_ that was just here?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I told you I don’t know!” The nurse’s voice wavered dangerously with hysteria. “I need-I need to take care of Dr. Tatsuno, can’t you see that? He’s hurt and I need to-“ the woman’s shoulders were trembling now. “I need-need to help him!”

Ryuko grimaced, then looked over to Iori. “We don’t have time for this.” She growled impatiently. “That thing has Satsuki—let’s go.”

Yet the boy waved her back. “Wait.” He muttered. “Just-wait. Let me try.” Hesitantly the youth crawled back over to the doctor, his hands open and raised as if guarding against a blow. “Miss, can you tell me your name? Are you alright?” His voice was calm and gentle, as though the teen was speaking with a small child.

The woman looked up at him abruptly. “I-I’m fine,” she stuttered, “I just need to take care of Dr. Tatsuno. He needs—I—my name is Sakura.” The woman bit her lip, and Iori held his silence, waiting for the woman to continue. “He—The doctor, I need to—“

“It’s okay.” The boy murmured. “The danger’s gone now. Can you tell me what happened?”

The nurse stared at him, then looked down to the doctor in her arms. “I—there was this screaming. From the other rooms, all the way down the hall.” She sniffed. “We went to investigate-Dr. Tatsuno and I-and this, this _thing_ just came out of one of the rooms.” Sakura sucked in a trembling breath, staring down at Tatsuno hard. “He-he pulled me back into the room. Said it might see us.” Her shoulders were trembling now, and hesitantly Iori rested a hand on her back, rubbing it in small circles and he gently urged her on. “It-the screams started to die. Oh _kami_ the screams stopped, one at a time. I heard them all! Mrs Aiko, Mr.Itou, Ms. Nagazaki, even Mr. Suzuki.” Tears began to trail down her cheeks. “Mr. Suzuki never raises his voice. He was always so sweet and quiet, and then he was-he just-“

The woman rubbed her face, sucking in a sobbing breath. “The hallway went quiet. Like when you’re in the eye of a storm. So quiet.” Her voice dropped into a whisper, taunt and restless., “We heard a strange noise then. Like…like when a shoe makes that awful noise when walking through thick mud. It was getting louder. Dr Tatsuno…He told me-He told me to hide in the closet. ‘Don’t come out no matter what,’ he said. ‘No matter what you hear, don’t do anything, don’t say anything. Not so much as a peep.’” Sakura swallowed, staring blankly down at the comatose man. “I did what he said. Not so much as a peep, no, not from me. Not so much as a peep…” The woman was shaking. “I—He, I heard him fighting it. He was screaming at it, and the door started shaking, like something was trying to get in, and then, then like the others Dr. Tatsuno just went _quiet_ and, and…” The woman whimpered and buried her face in her hands, sobbing silently.

“And you did well, Miss Sakura.” Iori comforted. “You did exactly as Dr. Tatsuno instructed.”

The nurse looked at the youth blankly, “but I-“

“No, listen,” Iori instructed firmly, “Dr. Tatsuno knew whatever that beast was, it would do something horrible. He knew that trusting you would be able to help once the danger passed. Don’t you see, Miss Sakura? He’s relying on you to help him now that the monster is gone. Look at him; he can’t do anything right now. _You_ need to figure out why, do you understand?”

Miss Sakura squeaked, staring at Iori in bewilderment. Ryuko felt she could relate. “Dr. Tatsuno has placed his faith in you and your ability as a nurse. Now, can you help him?”

Wordlessly the nurse nodded, sniffing loudly before wiping her eye. Swallowing, she nodded again. “There should be a gurney in one of the surgery rooms.” She said, slowly rising to her feet. Iori helped her up. “I-I can use one of those to get him out of here.” The woman bit her lip, staring between the two teens worriedly. “But what if it comes back? That-that _thing_?”

Ryuko smiled, stepping forward even as Iori stepped back. “Don’t worry about it.” She said. “That’s why we’re here.”   She nodded confidently. “We won’t let the monsters get you, I promise.”   The teen looked over at Iori. “Let’s go. We need to end this before that thing hurts anyone else.”

The lad nodded, “One more question,” he murmured, “It’ll help us a lot if you can answer it, Miss Sakura. Do you remember how long ago it was since the monster was here?”

The nurse stared at him blankly, then bit her lip, looking at the small watch on her wrist. “I don’t…No, we were getting ready for a scheduled check up with Mr. Agasaki…and then the monster came. Ah, fifteen!” She looked up at the duo, her face brightening somewhat. “It was fifteen minutes ago! Does that help?”

Iori nodded. “It does indeed, Ma’am. Now we know how far ahead of us it is.” The youth shared a look with Ryuko before rising to his feet. “You’ve helped us quite a bit, Miss Sakura. Thank you for the aid.” With a parting glance to the nurse and her charge, the duo left the room, pausing only to grab Ryuko’s scissor blade on the way out. Together they ran off in silence, neither speaking a word until the lab was well behind them and the blood trail led into a new room.

The ceiling had collapsed here, leaving a wreckage of tile and concrete intermingled with shattered glass and protruding steel and rebar. The hole to the floor above was dark; whatever had caused the collapse had destroyed the surrounding light fixtures on the next level. “Whelp,” Ryuko sucked in a deep breath, “looks like we’re going up!”

Without a second thought the girl approached the fallen section, carefully scrambling up the fallen ceiling while keeping an eye out for exposed metal. It was tougher than it looked; the ceiling section had fallen at a relatively steep angle, and the loose tile that made up the floor above made for a hazardous climb. Several times the girl almost slipped, raining tile and plaster down on the boy beneath her. One time she almost skewered herself with her own weapon.

Yet after repeated cursing and several slippery scares, Ryuko made her way up to the next level. “Alright Iori, come on, let’s go.” Resting on her hands and knees, the youth peered over the hole’s edge at the blonde, who eyed the collapsed ceiling warily.

“I’m not too sure about this…” He murmured. “It looks rather dangerous.”

“Eh?” Ryuko blinked. “Hey, don’t tell me you’re wussing out on me now, Iori. Especially after that first monster!”

“That one was dead when I woke up,” The boy said bluntly, “and I thoroughly remember running _away_ from it when I saw it in the vent.”

Ryuko snorted. “You were brave enough to go looking for it.”

“No,” the boy corrected, “I was brave enough to gather information on a Life Fiber attached to my mother. Had I known what was at the other end of it, I wouldn’t have even considered it.”

The teen scowled. “Oh, stop being such a pussy. We need to find that thing and make sure Satsuki is safe.” She paused, and almost in afterthought said, “Your mom too. I—she wasn’t with you when I woke up.”

Iori frowned. “You never told me what happened to her.”

“How about I tell you when you get your scrawny butt up here?”

“I take offense to that.”

“I don’t care.” Ryuko grinned recklessly. “Now toss me the blade. I don’t need you skewering yourself trying to get up here.” She gestured to the weapon, and with a frown Iori rose it towards her loop first. It wavered madly as he tried to steady the long thing, yet Ryuko was close enough to it that she was able to grab it before it toppled over. With a grunt, she pulled it up and set it beside its sister, then peered back down at the blonde expectantly. “Well?” Hurry up. If you aren’t coming up, then I’m leaving.”

Iori made a face but silently complied, eyeing the slab warily before stepping back into the hallway and making a running start up. He got about a third of the way up before the angle ended his momentum, and quickly he grabbed the ledge, continuing his slow trek up to the next floor. The youth was slower than Ryuko, taking his time and avoiding the areas that looked slick. Perhaps because of that, Iori managed to avoid many of the areas Ryuko had lost her footing on, and thus his passing was a great deal safer by the time he was within arm’s reach.

“Give me your hand.” Ryuko instructed, and as the boy did as instructed Ryuko grabbed him, hoisting him up to her side with ridiculous ease. “Damn you’re light. You weigh less than Mako.”

“I’m not light,” The boy grunted, “you’re just inhumanly strong.” Iori retorted.

Together the odd duo rose, grabbing their respective weapons. Ryuko began to lead down the hallway, only to stop when she found Iori hadn’t moved. “What are you doing?” She looked back at him.

The boy crossed his arms, his body a silhouette against the light emitting from the lower floor. “You mentioned my mother,” He prompted, “what happen to her?”

The girl fell silent, grimacing as she recalled the dream that couldn’t have been one, and the monster with blonde hair. “She was with us.” She started, and this time Iori moved to her side, his expression serious as he listened with rapt attention. “Satsuki and I-we were going to fight that thing, but we had you and your mom with us, so we hid you two together beneath the shades, hoping the creature wouldn’t notice you two while you were unconscious.”

“She wasn’t with me when I woke up.”

“I know.”

She could feel Iori’s eyes digging into her, yet the teen refused to meet his gaze, keeping her eyes straight ahead as they followed the bloody trail laid out before them. _Like the elder Iori, covered in blood._ Her mind teased, and despite herself the hair on the nape of her neck stood on end.

“Why?”

She sighed, gathering her thoughts as she steeled herself for what was to come. “I don’t know.” She confessed. “That…thing did something to me. I don’t know what, but it hurt me real bad, and—I don’t know if I was dreaming or if I was hallucinating or if it was real, but…it took something from me. A ball of light or something, like, like-“

“Your soul?”

Ryuko looked at the older boy abruptly, and Iori stared back. She could see no humor in his eyes. “…Yeah…maybe…” She mumbled, “it took it from me, and it looked like it was about to eat it, only it didn’t. Something—some _one_ killed it, right before it could.”

Iori was silent, and Ryuko bit the inside of her lip, scowling. “I…It was your mom. Covered and blood and with a face like murder. She—she ripped the thing’s heart out.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “It looked like she was _eating_ it.”

Beside her Iori stopped. “And you say you dreamt this?” His voice was tight and controlled, yet she could almost feel the heat of his gaze on her. This time Ryuko looked him straight in the eyes. They were bright with anger, insulted she would even dare make such an allegation against his family.

She frowned, but held his gaze. “I said I don’t know if I dreamt it.” She said slowly. “Maybe I did. But you need to realize, you woke up and she wasn’t with you, and that monster we faced was still dead. Who killed it? It wasn’t me—I was its next victim. Satsuki was already captured, and if it was Gamagori or the others, they would have stuck around or left someone behind to care for us. Now I don’t want to go out and say what I dreamt was real, because that’s getting into some serious shit that I don’t even want to consider right now. But the possibility is there, and if we find your mom at the end of this rope, if we find that-that _thing_ from my dreams, I want you to be ready.”

Ryuko paused there, observing Iori’s face carefully. Yet the boy’s expression was guarded save for the bright anger in his eyes. “If this turns out like Ragyo, like the Life Fibers, I want you to know—I’m not going to hold back. I _can’t_ hold back, not against something like this.”

Iori’s fists clenched, and the teen looked away, a sneer on his face. She watched him, waiting for him to come to a decision. A variety of emotions danced across his face, and inhaling sharply the lad closed his eyes, releasing it in a slow, shuddering breath. When he looked at her again, his expression was calm, his eyes resolved. “Then let’s get going.” His voice was tight and tense, a sure sign of the tumultuous emotions raging through him. “Lady Satsuki is waiting for us.”

The hybrid stared at the blonde for a long moment, searching his face for any signs of hesitation. Yet though his eyes were angry, they were clear. Slowly she nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”

“For Lady Satsuki.”

“For Satsuki.”

~*~

She stared at her arm in stunned silence. In front of her, the entity with the large core continued speaking, yet she ignored it’s screeching, swinging her stone limb around in an attempt to free it from the mineral cast. However nothing happened and a twinge of panic overtook Marller as she found herself unable to feel the flesh enclosed within.

It wasn’t even that the arm was numb as when it was initially struck. Already the tingling sensation was fading, and in its place was…nothing. The nerves interwoven within the flesh were unresponsive and dead beneath the hardened skin. She rubbed it, the arm as cold and smooth as polished marble. Uncertainty wove within her chest, and when next she looked to the small man-sized core, it was with the wariness of a wolf that had learned the deer it hunted could kick.

She snarled at it, baring her teeth in rabid rage. Yet the man, the ‘doctor’, stood his ground, unfazed by her challenge. “To think you would have degenerated to such a state.” He grumbled, his face pinched with anger. “I wasted too much time on you. Had I known you’d be in such a state…” The man ran a hand through his hair with a groan, “I would have acted sooner had I known you were so damaged. Gods bless it all!”

The _Yi Shen_ bared his teeth in a grimace and Marller bristled, mistaking it for a challenge. “And now I have all these _humans_ …And with a _Kiyatu_ as well…I’ll need to undergo extensive damage control before word gets out.” The man grabbed a fistful of hair in distress, and above him the monster with the paper flesh growled, its head tilting in one direction as it stared at her. It took a step forward, and Marller growled, angling her body to hide her wounded arm from the creature.

A curious purr emerged from the monster’s throat, and the beast stalked towards her. Its maw parted, and a long, slender organ appeared, its tip bulbous and circular and lined with inverted fangs. It stretched towards the demon, and the fangs extended, as though probing the air around it in an attempt to make sense of the woman before it. A squeal, high and excited, emerged from its mass, and startled Marller stepped back, attempting to distance the soul eater from herself.

Next to it, the doctor paused in his rant, staring at the _Kiyatu_ in open surprise. “What?” The word was barely above a whisper, and with wide eyes the man returned his gaze to Marller. “You-but why?” He breathed, “Why do you house a human soul within you?”

The _Kiyatu_ screamed again, and with it Marller’s growl rose into a roar. _I am here!_ It shouted. _Come at me! I am here, and I hunger!_

So too did the _Kiyatu_.

With an eerie gurgle it charged forth, the doctor at its side all but forgotten in light of the blonde before it. Marller bared her teeth in a vicious smile before charging as well, a strange chortling noise emerging from her throat that the demon’s recovering mind labeled as ‘laughter’.

They met near a secondary entrance to the room, the wall surrounding the door void of the eggs and the humans trapped within. An explosion of energy hailed their meeting, and from around the two combatants’ sparks of red lightning ignited, dancing with a sharp, aggressive fluidity that was mirrored by the two opponents. Eyes wild and hungry, Marller struck out with her stone arm, momentum giving it strength as it crashed into the Soul Eater’s body. Its flesh, made of nothing but paper talismans, yielded easily beneath the transformed limb; however, its body was large, and though there was no doubt the blow stung, it did little but antagonize the beast.

A tail like that of a lizard’s swept forth from behind, and before Marller could act collided heavily with her side. The blow was enough to send her sliding across the tile, her arm grinding dully against the porcelain before the demon collided with a wall. Her body bounced off the plaster, and with a grunt she rolled to her hands and knees, glaring up as the _Kiyatu_ rushed her. It was joined by the _Yi Shen_ doctor, and rather than take on the both of them Marller retreated, rolling to her feet and racing to the left around the room’s perimeter.

“No you _don’t_!” The doctor snarled, once more releasing the _Gorgon’s Breath_. It fell short of its mark; however, and Marller continued on, circling around the creatures in an effort to keep the distance between them. “Humans are little more than a virus on the face of the earth; perhaps their madness is behind your own insanity. Maybe if I remove that soul from you you’ll awaken to reason!

Her current outfit, that of a long, haphazard hospital gown, made her retreat difficult; another breath was shot at her, this time in front of her, and instinctively the demon whirled around to dodge. The strings on her outfit caught beneath her foot, and with a snarl the blonde went down, crashing painfully atop her stone arm. Grimacing, the woman pushed herself up with her good arm, only to be overshadowed by the _Kiyatu_ and it serpentine organ.

There came a strange tugging in her chest, and with a hiss her instincts kicked in, grabbing her stone limb and throwing it upwards to slam into the fleshy vine and knocking the toothy bulb away from her. A howl, and two of the pods the lined the wall near the beast exploded, the body and fluids within burning a bright white as they fell onto the creature’s body.

 _Burn it!_ A voice in her mind screeched. _Burn it burn it burnitburnitburnit!_ Yet her energy reserves were low, and every attack made that small stockpile lower. These were not opponents she could burn her energy up on. Not until she was certain of their deaths, certain that their cores were hers and hers alone to feast on. Already Marller could feel the strain of her attacks, of running and ducking and dodging and burning in an attempt to stay one step ahead of the _Yi Shen_ and his _Kiyatu_ , and her body was beginning to tremble and burn from the fatigue.

Before her the doctor was cursing. “No! Bless it all, no!” He screamed. “You can’t! If you kill the _Kiyatu_ here there will be no way to send it back! You mad fool, you’re going to draw _their_ attention!” Quickly the man left the creature’s side, retreating from the monster before he too, was set alight, an expression of utter horror descending on his face.

Something in the man’s words was enough to give her pause, and for a brief moment Marller stared at him, her mind blank and she surveyed the destruction the three of them had wrought. The _Kiyatu_ shrieked in agony as it’s matte flesh went up in flames, and as it writhed its body crashed into the eggs that lined the surrounding wall, igniting the pods and increasing the fires’ spread.

All too quickly it seemed the air began to reek with the scent of burning flesh and blood, and a heavy, black smoke began to rise to the room’s ceiling. The fire made her eyes and lungs burn, and grimacing the demon shook herself, ridding herself of whatever had once possessed her in favor of something else. _Burn! Run! Feed!_ Her mind screamed a variety of orders at her, yet Marller was torn on which instinct to follow.

“What the hell is this!?” A new voice, young and harsh and feminine, rose over the cacophony of voices, and Marller found her gaze torn away, instead drawn to the two newcomers which had just barreled into the room. “Holy shit, I think that’s the-“

The girl was interrupted as a smaller blonde rushed past her, a strange weapon in hand as the youth raced towards the demon. “Mother!?”

Above their heads alarms began to scream as the sprinklers activated, dousing the fires in water. A fresh burst of steam emerged, rising and intermingling with the black smoke to create a thick wall of smog that masked everything from sight. Marller grimaced, slowly rising to her feet as her ears picked out the individuals around her.

The _Kiyatu_ ’s screams hadn’t faded, though she sensed the flames tearing apart its flesh were almost fully extinguished. The girl-child, _the immature core_ , her voice reminded, remained at the door, calling out to those within. The boy-child in turn was shouting something back, and now, _now_ she was beginning to understand the words, though still they made little sense to her.

“Dr. Nagasai, what’s going on?! What are you-my mother, what’s happening?” He shouted, and closer to her she heard the _Yi Shen_ respond.

“Shiro? What are you—get out of here!” The man shouted, and despite herself the woman frowned, something…anger perhaps, welling inside her. “This monster, I-I followed it here. It was kidnapping the patients, and I needed to know what it was doing with them.”

“But my mother, Dr. Nagasai, she’s-“Her ears twitched as the sound of boots drew closer.

“No! Shiro, stop!” The doctor shouted, “Something’s wrong with her-I don’t know what she’s doing, but she attacked me. She’s…she’s not thinking right. I-I think it might have to do with the monster.”

“But—“

“Shiro, listen to me! I’ve been your mother’s doctor for years!” The _Yi Shen_ sounded desperate. “I know you want to help her, and I do too, but we have to deal with that large monster first! If it’s… _controlling_ her somehow, it needs to be stopped! Otherwise she’ll only attack us in its stead!”

“Has it been taking all its victims here?” The girl again, yet Marller could detect a note of hesitation in her voice. She too was drawing near, though not at the same pace as the boy.

“I-yes, I believe so,” the doctor replied, “the people, they’re still _alive!_ Some of the pods were destroyed by that thing, and the people inside…” He trailed off, and Marller felt a silent snarl overtake her frown.

  1. Her instincts reminded her. No _run._ No _burn_ this time. _Food._ Narrowing her eyes, the demon crouched down low, where the air was slightly clearer. She inhaled deeply, and beneath the tang of burning flesh and fire, she caught a slight hint of _human_. Growling softly, she crouched and began to crawl towards it, keeping her stone shoulder against the wall in order to keep her bearings about her.



She found it easily enough; one of the humans victimized by her attacks, it had somehow managed to survive both her hellfire and the fall to the floor. She inhaled the mortal’s scent, her stomach rumbling as it once more reminded her of her hunger. Soon enough her prey was in view, well within range of the _Kiyatu,_ raging and howling and thrashing about, too blinded by its own pain to even notice the demon.

Wary of the writhing beast, Marller approached the mortal that had somehow survived, finding a young man lying unconscious before her. The core of his being was dangerously low, and his body was covered in blistered flesh from where the flaming liquid had seared him. _Ji-hun Lee._ Her mind whispered, _Twenty three years, Osan, South Korea, studying abroad for a degree in architecture. Three siblings, two dead, excommunicated from family…_ the information continued to pass through her mind: his history, relationships, quarters, likes, dislikes…it all flowed into her mind as a thick stream of information, leaving her dizzy and nauseous as she scrambled back. _Negative karma affixed to individual for insidious deeds conducted in past lives. Individual is confirmed candidate for contracting. Individual is confirmed candidate for moirai cleansing due to heavy accumulation of tribulations afflicted throughout current lifespan. Connection with demonframe NIDHOGG not required for processing of individual._

The demon shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts of the excess information. _Food?_ She queried, staring down at the human and finding herself with little understanding of what had warranted such a torrent of data.

And a voice, deeper and more melodious than her own, responded. _Food._

It was all the information she needed, all the _permission_ she needed to launch herself on the fallen mortal. A quick thrust, and the fading core was in her hand, still mindlessly attempting to pump what little energy it had through the vessel that once housed in. It was gone in less than a minute, and with it she felt her own reserves begin to fill as well.

It was enough to kick her out of her fatigue, and as the air around her began to clear once more Marller focused her attention on the soul eater.

“Iori, I think I see Satsuki!”

“Where?”

“There! Right next to-wait, is that The Runt? Jakuzure was captured too?”

“Matoi, I believe I see Gamagori and Mankanshoku as well.”

“Shit!” The female hissed. “Iori, we need to get them out of there!”

“But how? They’re all the way at the top of the ceiling! We’re in a hospital cafeteria Matoi, the ceiling has to be at least twenty feet high!”

“Then we better get climbing!”

“With this beast in the room?” That was the _Yi Shen_ this time,and if Marller squinted, she could just make out his silhouette through the clearing smoke. “I’m sorry, but I can’t allow you to do that. We all need to evacuate the premises as quickly as possible and contact the police.”

There was a bark of laughter from the female. “Like they’ll do anything.” She said with disdain. “Iori, how do you feel about climbing? I can hold this thing off if you can get up there and free the others.”

“You’re placing a great deal of misdirected faith in my physical prowess, Matoi. We’ve also my mother to consider.”

“Don’t care. That thing is dangerous and we need to focus on getting the others out of here before they get hurt. We’ll deal with your mom as the situation warrants, but for now we _need_ to get Satsuki and the others down.”

The next voice was softer by far as the boy grumbled to himself, “If I die doing this, I’m sending that black dog after you Matoi. See if I don’t…”

Anything after that Marller tuned out, directing her full attention back to the beast before her. The sprinklers had finally done their job, leaving the beast before her a sodden mess of paper mache and bloody organs. The ink layered on the talismans had begun to run, and several of the talismans had fallen off completely, exposing the muscle within.

The demon straightened, a predatory smile on her face as the creature screeched at her. Where once there had been mindless aggression, now the beast was displaying something else, something she found very appealing: fear.

With a bloodthirsty howl, the woman charged the beast, laughing madly as the creature retreated from her. She smashed into it with her stone arm, a feeling of extreme satisfaction oozing through her as the heavy limb sank into the creature’s torso. The _Kiyatu_ screamed in pain, and with her free hand Marller grabbed onto the exposed muscle, fingers slipping into the individual fibers and holding them tight as the sprinklers washed its blood to the floor.

Another shriek shadowed the first, and the creature began to writhe and squirm in an attempt to throw her off. Yet now Marller had a solid grip on the beast, and though the _Kiyatu_ struggled mightily, it did not toss the woman. There was a lull in its struggles as the beast grew tired, and the demon took the opportunity to once more pull her stone arm back and slam it into the creature’s soft body, this time at a higher point. The limb wedged itself deeply inside, and it was in that manner that the blonde began to scale the soul eater, eyes searching wildly for the point where the core was most exposed as blood and water stained her hospital gown and ugly brown.

The demon found she was not alone as she reached the creature’s back.

“Oh shit.” The girl from before stared at her with wide blue eyes, a long, strange weapon in hand that currently lay buried to the hilt within the _Yi Shen_. “What are you-“ the girl looked back over her shoulder, and Marller narrowed her eyes. “Doc! I thought you said this thing was controlling Iori’s mom!”

“It is! I’m certain of it!”

“Yeah? Well she don’t look really buddy-buddy with the thing!” The girl looked back at Marller, and this time the woman bared her teeth in a snarl, growling lowly. “Not that she looks real friendly period…”

The demon bristled, angry that the child was hovering so close to the soul eater’s core. This was _her_ prey! Not the girl’s! With a snarl she lashed out, throwing her stone arm towards the youth. The girl stumbled backwards, “what the-what’s wrong with your arm?!”

The limb hit the hilt of the teen’s weapon with a loud clang, and the girl cringed as stone grated against steel. “The hell? She muttered, and as if a signal once more the monster beneath them began to twist, desperately trying to throw them both off.

Quickly the dark-haired youth grabbed her weapon, using it to maintain her balance, yet Marller would have none of that. _It’s mine!_ She thought, and as the beast rose to its hind legs, the demon used the shifting beast to her advantage, leaping at the teen and bringing the damaged limb down on the child’s head.

The teen yelped at the sudden attack, releasing her hold on the hilt and losing her footing. She slid down the beast’s back before finally grabbing onto a chunk of exposed tissue, and with the girl out of the way the length of Marller’s arm slammed down upon the hilt. The metal buried itself further within the creature’s flesh, and with it came an odd, hollow ring that awoke a strange, nagging feeling in the back of Marller’s brain. Crouching to keep her balance, the woman stared at her arm, taking note of the hairline cracks that had appeared from where she’d struck the blade.

She didn’t have enough time to properly examine it; however, as the beast beneath her groaned and toppled to one side, this time sending both hybrid and demon flying off the beast. The girl recovered faster than she, and with a shout ran back to the creature, whose movements were quickly growing slow and lackluster. “How’s it going up there, Iori?” The girl shouted, voice strained as she grabbing the hilt and pulling with all her might. “Because I really think I’m gonna need your help down here with your mom!”

“Working on it!”

The blade didn’t budge, and the girl swore, planting a foot in the creature’s back to assist her in its removal. Above her, the fleshy vine slowly rose, circling around her in an attempt to attack the youth from behind. Marller stumbled to her feet, yet even as she rose the demon knew she’d be unable to stop the inevitable attack.

“Leave her alone!”

Which was why it came as such a shock when the _Yi Shen_ doctor raced past her with a folded metal chair in hand. With a roar he smashed it into the vine’s bulbous head, causing a shriek from the girl as the teen turned to meet her latest opponent. The end of the chair collided with the fanged front just as the ivory was beginning to expand outwards. A loud _clang_ resounded throughout the room, and as the fleshy vine recoiled the man raced to the girl’s side, aiding her in withdrawing the weapon.

Marller bristled at the sight, and the anger in her chest smoldered into a black heated rage. Now there were _two_ entities after her kill, and she’d be blessed if she allowed either of them to steal her prey. With a howl she launched herself at the duo, fangs borne in a raging snarl as the girl spun to face her. She readied her weapon, face set and determined, clearly a challenge for the _Kiyatu’s_ core, only for the _Yi Shen_ to grab the youth by the back of her collar and literally hoist her away with a single word, “Nope!”

Unnoticed by any of the current occupants, a large man with blonde hair fell from one of the pods in the wall. As his body bounced and he came to rest with a large groan, a worried voice rose from above, “Sorry Gamagori…”

It was followed soon after by another, this one tiny in comparison to the fallen giant, her landing softened by Gamagori’s body. There was a hiss from the wall, followed by an even more concerned, “Sorry Nonon.”

“Hey! What the-lemme go! She’s gonna do something stupid, I know it!” The youth struggled fruitlessly against the doctor, who retreated to the wall farthest from both demon and monster. “I’ve got to stop her before she hurts herself!”

“And I need to stop you before she hurts _you_.” The doctor growled. “Not that I don’t trust your skills, Miss, but given her current state of mind I believe Mrs. Iori will cause you nothing but grief if you put yourself between her and the creature.”

“But you said that thing was—“

“I may have been wrong with what I said! Does she look like one under the control of such a creature? Or someone trying to kill it with her bare hands?”

Marller slowed as she reached the wounded creature’s back, glaring at the two retreating entities until she felt they were no longer a threat to her meal. With one last teeth-borne snarl at the duo, _this is mine! Find your own!_ the demon returned to the monster, wasting no time in finding the area the weapon had punctured and tearing into it with a savage ferocity. She listened with only half an ear as she shredded paper and muscle and tissue, burrowing into the beast as the soul eater released a pitiful mew.

“The fuck is she doing?!”

“Nothing either of us wants to be involved in, I assure you, Miss.”

“Matoi, you better make sure Mother stays safe!” A voice arose above the combatants’ head. “Otherwise I swear on Kami I will drop Mankanshoku.”

Somewhere below the youth came a deep groan. “Was I…hit by a bus...?”

“As if a simple fall would hurt her.” The girl muttered, shuddering as the demon finally reached her goal and ripped the core from the creature’s being. “It’s just like before…that dream I had wasn’t a dream…” In a louder voice she yelled, “I don’t think you’re mom’s in danger anymore!”

“We should leave.” The doctor said lowly as Marller tore ravenously into the core. “Now, before she sets her sights on us.”

_10.536 KIRRUS ACQUIRED._

_REESTABLISHING LINK WITH NIFLHEIMIAN SYSTEM NIDHOGG._

_INITIATING…_

_LINK SUCCESSFUL._

_ERROR CODE 8416168913873486: DATA ASSOCIATED WITH DEMON FORTUNA MARLLER IS CORRUPTED_

_REPROCESSING FROM LAST KNOWN LINKAGE…_

_INITIATING…_

_INITIATING…_

Marller grimaced, dropping what remained of the core she’d worked so hard in obtaining in favor of clutching her head, smearing thick blood across her forehead. Her stomach lurched, and as though struck the woman stepped back, swaying dangerously as a sense of vertigo overwhelmed her.

“Wha….” The demon shut her eyes, a heavy shudder travelling down her spine. The sigils on her face began to burn with power. “What…”

“We need to leave. Grab your friends and go. Now!” From the corner of one eye Marller caught the _Yi Shen_ grab the girl and drag her towards the exit.

“Are you kidding? Mako and Satsuki are still up there though!” The girl protested, “I ain’t leaving ‘till they’re safe on the ground!”

“Idiot child, I-“ anything else was lost as a roaring pain ripped through her skull. Her body felt like it was on fire, and with a gasp the demon doubled over.

“My…head…” The woman groaned.

_RESUMING LINK FROM LAST KNOWN TIME POINT._

“It…it hurts…” Bloodied fingers dug into her hair as Marller fell to her knees in pain. “My-my head…it’s…tearing open…”

A distance away, the girl, Ryuko, tore herself free of the doctor. “Look! Something is wrong with her! We need to do something before-“

“There’s nothing we can do.” Dr. Nagasai said ominously. “At this point, she’s beyond help. It we get too close, we’ll be caught in the resulting explosion.”

“Explosion?!” The teen wheeled to stare at the man in open shock. “The hell are you talking about?!”

“Matoi!”

The girl looked up, finding Iori struggling to hold onto the roots threaded between the pods while he juggled an unconscious Mako and her scissor blade. “Matoi, I can’t hold onto her like this! Can you catch her?”

“Go ahead!” She cried, glancing back at the once-comatose woman at her back. “And hurry up! We need to get out of here!”

Ryuko got a grunt in response, and then Mako was falling towards her. She caught the girl easily enough, finding her sopping wet and smelling foul, but still very much alive. “Mako…Mako, are you okay? Come on, I need you to wake up.”

The girl grumbled sleepily in her arms, then cuddled up against Ryuko’s chest, a gesture that would have been welcomed at any other time. “Don’ wanna…” She muttered, and the hybrid teen almost sagged with relief.

“Hey, come one sleepyhead, I need my arms.” She paused, scowling slightly. “If you get up, I’ll treat you to cheesecake later on.”

Immediately Mako snapped to attention, staring at Ryuko with large brown eyes. “You promise?”

With a smirk Ryuko nodded. “Think you can go help that big oaf and his tiny brat-friend for me? We still need to get Satsuki down.”

The brunette nodded, and Ryuko set her down. As Mako rushed over to a drowsy Gamagori and an Jakuzure who was only just starting to rouse. The dark haired girl risked a look once more back at the elder Iori, and a spike of alarm shot up her spine as she noticed the alien red glow. It consumed the woman’s body like a raging fire, yet the blonde’s flesh remained unscathed. _The doc wasn’t lying._ She thought to herself, glancing over to the man in question and watching as ran to aid Mako, throwing one of Gamagori’s arms over his shoulder and helping the man to his feet. _I don’t know what’s up with that woman, but…_ her mind flashed back to the first beast, and the red-eyed monster that had killed it with a single blow.

She shuddered. “How’s it coming Iori?! We _really_ need to get the others out of here!”

The female Iori was beginning to scream now, and with it the ground began to shake with enough force that the girl was almost knocked from her feet. “Iori!” Ryuko looked up just in time to dodge the boy’s half of the scissor blade. The teen had dropped it in his rush to free Satsuki. “Hurry up! If this keeps up the floor is going to collapse beneath us!”

The boy didn’t respond, and biting her lip Ryuko snagged both her blades. “I need to stop this before it gets out of control.” She growled. “Oi! Doc!” The man looked up from where he was now shouldering a heavy portion of Gamagori’s weight, Mako at his side with the listless Jakuzure. “Get them out of here! It’s too dangerous to stay here any longer!”

The man grimaced, looking ready to protest before seemingly thinking better of it. “Right!” He cried, grabbing Mako and dragging her and her charge towards the exit. “Good luck, Girl!” Yet Ryuko didn’t hear, already charging towards the collapsed woman.

She was too late; however, as some outside force propelled her back. The red aura that surrounded the blonde expanded in a large pillar of light, and with it the woman rose into the air as though possessed. She hung there like a ragdoll as the pillar narrowed into a thin, bright stream from her forehead. There came a howl, and with it a shockwave swept through the room.

Ryuko braced herself, feeling an undeniable _force_ slam into her, throwing the hybrid back into the wall. Around her the egg pods holding the other victims splintered and shattered. The presence faded, and Ryuko collapsed, falling to her knees as she gasped for breath. Around her came a _thud thud thud_ , and the teen grimaced, raising her eyes and staring dumbly at the bodies that now surrounded her.

“Shit…Satsuki!” The girl scrambled to her feet, weapons forgotten. “Iori! Are you okay?” The room had grown eerily quiet. People were _everywhere_. All of them, those once imprisoned within the pods, now lining the room’s perimeter and as quiet as the dead. “Iori!” She shouted once more, looking up to where she’d last seen the boy and finding no sign of either him or her sister. “No. No no no no no _no._ ” She breathed, easing her way over to the wall and eying the multitude of bodies around her.

She found Satsuki easily enough, laying sprawled atop several other people. “Come on Satsuki, tell me you’re okay.” She mumbled, kneeling at her sister’s side and cradling the older girl in her arms. “You’re better than this, you _better_ be okay.” The girl brought an ear to Satsuki’s chest, biting back a relieved sob when she heard a heartbeat.

“Thank Heavens.” The teen bowed her head, swallowing back her nerves as she tapped her sister’s cheek. “Come on, wake up. We need to make sure your friend’s okay.

For a moment the girl was unresponsive, and Ryuko had to stop herself from falling once more into panic. _She’s okay she’s okay the bodies cushioned her I know she’s okay she needs to be okay!_ Then Satsuki coughed, her brows furrowing together as she grabbed Ryuko’s sleeve.

A relieved smile wormed its way onto Ryuko’s face without her noticing, and then the teen opened her eyes. “B..be…hind…you….”

Ryuko’s eyes widened, and the teen spun around, the smile dropping into a snarl as she met the red-eyed gaze of the woman who’d appeared behind her. “You!” Anger flooded her chest, and without either of her blades nearby Ryuko drew Satsuki close, attempting to shield her fallen sibling from the woman before her.

The female Iori said nothing though; seemingly content to stare down at the youngest Kiryuin with curious red eyes.

She cradled her son in one arm.

And then the woman frowned. Fangs, long and narrow, peaked over her lips, and Ryuko’s breath caught in her throat. _Monster’s here monster’s awake it’s here it’s gonna kill me it’s here it’s here it’s here!_ The hair on the nape of her neck rose in alarm, and it was only through strength of will that the teen didn’t turn tail and run right then and there.

“Who summoned me?”

“What?” Ryuko stared, the words not fully registering through the panic running rampant in her mind.

The woman narrowed her eyes, and the frown deepened. “Who _summoned_ me?” This time it was less a question and more of a demand.

Yet Ryuko could do little but stare, her mind racing as she tried to come up with a plan. “I—what? No one summoned you. What do you mean?”

The female Iori huffed in annoyance, glaring down at the teen with contempt. “It wasn’t you then.” She paused, then looked down at her burden, as if noticing her charge for the first time. “Was it you?” She asked him. “Is that why I saved you?”

Yet the boy in her arms was unresponsive; as unconscious as the men and women that surrounded them.

A deep growl rumbled in her chest, and with a look of disgust the woman carelessly dropped her charge. “I don’t have time for this.” She hissed, rubbing her head as though it pained her. Strange, red sigils had appeared on her brow and cheeks, holding the same glow as the sinister aura that had once surrounded her. “I need to…” The woman shook her head, staring down at first Ryuko, then Iori, and finally herself. “Nidhogg…I need Nidhogg.”

The hospital gown, torn and soiled with blood and soot, erupted into flames. Ryuko flinched, then gasped as threads, red, _familiar_ threads, appeared around the woman’s figure. They covered her body, melting into a red glow that faded into clothes of a foreign design of black, red, and gold. _Life Fibers…those were Life Fibers!_

The woman rolled her shoulder and examined her grey arm, then looked down once more at Ryuko. “This place will burn.” She warned. “I’ll leave nothing for Valkyries to use against me. If you want to live, then gather what’s yours and go.”

And just like that, the female Iori was gone, leaving Ryuko alone with a half-conscious Satsuki, and unconscious Iori, numerous bodies that may or may not have been dead, and a room that was swiftly growing uncomfortably hot.

**Author's Note:**

> I have only a vague idea of where this story will go. Should be an entertaining journey, though.


End file.
